Friday, 30 October - I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

Good morning, it’s Friday, 30 October. In your Squiz Today…

• Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson will learn her appeal outcome

• The staffing spat between One Nation and PM Anthony Albanese continues

• And the Tassie tiger head found under the bed… 🎃

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 7 minutes to read

🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Anna Pykett, Larissa Huntington, and Sophie Felice

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said an Aussie online after their new foldable iPhone Duo screen cracked. Apple says a “small number” of customers have been having similar issues, and it’s replacing affected phones - but when they start at $3,499, talk about needing a screen break…

Erin Patterson’s appeal ruling

The Squiz

Today, mushroom murderer Erin Patterson will find out if her attempt to overturn her convictions has been successful - and if it has, she could get a retrial or even walk free. But that’s not all. At the same time, Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions Brendan Kissane KC is arguing the 33-year non-parole period Patterson was given is too lenient - he wants to make sure she stays in prison for the rest of her life.

Back it up a bit…

This is the case the whole world got obsessed with. In July 2025, Patterson was found guilty of 3 counts of murder and one of attempted murder, after she served beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms to her estranged husband’s parents, aunt and uncle - 3 of whom died. Patterson pleaded not guilty and has always maintained her innocence, saying the poisoning was a tragic accident - and her legal team don’t think she got a fair trial, so last year they launched an appeal to try and get her convictions quashed. But Victoria’s top prosecutor Brendan Kissane KC thinks the sentence wasn’t harsh enough. As things stand, Patterson could become eligible for parole in 2056, when she’ll be in her 80s - so he’s pushing for it to be increased to life without parole.

So what might happen today?

Three judges will decide what happens, and there are several possible outcomes. If both appeals fail, nothing changes - Patterson stays in prison for life, with a 33-year non-parole period. If her appeal fails, the court could also back the prosecution and resentence her. If Patterson’s appeal succeeds, the court could acquit her entirely or order a retrial - which could throw a spanner in the works of the Paramount+ drama about the case we told you about yesterday, as well as a heap of podcasts, because pre-trial rules would apply again. And if Patterson loses, she could take her case to the High Court - but it would have to agree to hear the case first. We don’t think Patterson will be at Victoria’s Supreme Court for the decision - which is expected at 10am AEDT; you can watch the livestream here.

Squiz the Rest

One Nation accuses the PM of political meddling

Leader Pauline Hanson says PM Anthony Albanese offered One Nation MP David Farley an extra staffer on a salary package worth $200,000, which he’s rejected. This is making news because One Nation is in the middle of a staffing stoush with the PM - it argues that as a minor party, it should get more resources. Every federal pollie gets 5 electorate officers, but extra staff are the PM’s call. Hanson says this offer was an attempt to use taxpayer money to win over the Farrer MP and split her party. Reports say Farley is the only crossbench MP without extra staff, and the offer matched what fellow One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce got when he quit the Nationals. We’ve not heard from the PM yet, but the government could argue it was bringing Farley in line with other crossbenchers.

Anorexia and bulimia cases are rising…

Particularly in Australia, where, according to a new study, the rate of people living with the disorders is the highest in the world. Research published as part of the Global Burden of Disease study found that there’s been a 71% increase worldwide in cases of the disorders, which are mental health conditions related to eating and food, in the past 30 years. But Australia has the highest rate, with 1026.5 people per 100,000 people. Globally, nearly 70% of people with the disorders were female, and about 41% were aged 10-24yo. Study senior author Damian Santomauro said there were many drivers behind the increase, but he suspects social media, Instagram and body image issues have played a part in recent years.
*Need Help?

Another Aussie retailer on the rocks

The Black Friday sales are getting closer, and David Jones will be hoping pre-Christmas shoppers bring a boost to sales, with reports doing the rounds this week that it’s in financial strife. The 188yo department store posted a pre-tax loss of $95.5 million last year, and reports say it’s being quietly shopped around (paywall) after needing an emergency cash injection of $10 million. CEO Erica Berchtold wants to halve its 38 stores to save money - but it’s not the only retailer doing it tough. Myer has had its second-worst financial year in 126 years of trading, recording a net loss of $276.5 million in the year to 25 July. Both firms say they’ve faced challenging economic periods, but marketing expert Jana Bowden says the sector is suffering from “retreating relevancy and an identity crisis”.

Brewing up a Major League win

That would be the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the World Series - aka the final of Major League Baseball - for the first time in the team’s 57-year history. They beat the Tampa Bay Rays by 4 games to one in the best-of-7 series. The team is often referred to as ‘scrappy’ because it doesn’t have as much cash to spend on players as some of the bigger, flashier teams like the LA Dodgers do. Instead, it played ‘small ball’ (smarter rather than relying on powerful players hitting heaps of home runs). Just on salary caps, club owners want to bring them in to make payrolls fairer, but players argue it blocks their earning potential. The dispute is heading for a lockout - where players are locked out by owners - which could delay or even cancel next season, so it’s something fans are watching closely…

Trick or treasure

A family in London found a Tasmanian tiger head stuffed under a bed - and it could be worth a small fortune. The thylacine’s nickname is Trevor, and auctioneers reckon he could fetch up to $95,000 when he goes under the hammer next month. Apparently the family stashed the head away because they were “genuinely quite frightened of it”. The last known Tasmanian tiger died in 1936 - but the animals’ heads seem to be having a bit of a moment. Another one, originally thought to be a fox, went for $120,000 at auction in August, which made headlines all over the world. This prompted the family to dig Trevor out of storage when they learned how rare he was. He goes to auction on 26 November - so we’ll find out then how much the monster under the bed is worth…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We’ve stormed through Amazon Prime’s remake of Carrie - a series based on Stephen King’s best-selling debut horror novel. It’s had great reviews, and we’re chuffed that it’s coming back for a second season, but we recommend keeping a cushion handy. Pop it on your Halloween watching bucket list… (no spoilers, but you’ll get it by the finale).

And if you don’t fancy giving yourself a fright, Nobody Wants This is back for season 3. It picks up with Noah and Joanne having moved in together, but it’s the Morgan-Sasha storyline we’re really invested in (IYKYK…). You can watch it on Netflix.

We’ve also been enjoying the ABC’s new cooking competition Recipe of the Year, hosted by Adam Liaw and Pia Miranda. It’s made with the Country Women’s Association, and we got inspired to make these date and orange scones for a school spring fair. Not sure if they’d cut it with the CWA, but we reckon they’re delicious…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEDT) - Public hearing in the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence - Canberra 

9.00am (AEST) - Supreme Court bail application for former Bachelor star Sam Wood on domestic violence charges - Brisbane 

10.00am (AEDT) - Tabcorp Holdings Limited AGM - Melbourne 

10.00am (AEDT) - Appeal judgment for Erin Patterson, who was found guilty of murdering 3 of her estranged husband's family members with deathcap mushrooms - Melbourne 

6.30pm (AEDT) - Rugby League: Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup Australia v England - Sydney, watch on 7Plus

Sydney Airport security workers are set to strike in the morning and afternoon travel period over pay and working conditions 

G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (until 31 October) - Atlanta

Coles to release first quarter sales updates 

ABS data release: producer price indexes, September 2026; foreign currency exposure, March 2026 

Day for Daniel (Morcombe)

Sydney Metro Southwest opens

Aussie rules: Last round of the AFLW kicks off

Tasmanian Craft Fair begins (until 1 November) - Deloraine 

Africa Day of Food and Nutrition Security

Anniversary of:

• the Communist Party of Australia's foundation (1920)

• Italian dictator Benito Mussolini forming government (1922)

• the radio broadcast of HG Wells The War of the Worlds, narrated by Orson Welles. Legend has it the broadcast caused mass panic when listeners thought that Earth was being attacked by aliens from Mars (1938)

Saturday
10.00am (AEDT) - Racing: Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse - Melbourne 

11.00am (AEDT) - The Daytime Emmy Awards - Los Angeles, watch on YouTube

7.05pm (AEST) - Rugby league: Men's Rugby League World Cup group A Kangaroos v Cook Islands - Townsville, watch on 7Plus

Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games begin (until 13 November) - Dakar 

Happy Halloween 🎃

World Cities Day

Birthdays for director Peter Jackson (1961), rapper Vanilla Ice (1967), and singer Willow Smith (2000)

Anniversary of:

• Michelangelo completing the painting of The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel (1541)

• the 'last successful cavalry charge in history' by the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade during the Battle of Beersheba in WWI (1917)

• the completion of the Mount Rushmore Monument (1941)

• the birthday of poet John Keats (1795)

• the deaths of magician Harry Houdini (1926) and actors River Phoenix (1993) and Sean Connery (2020)

Sunday
10.00am (AEST) - Justice Thomas Bradley to be sworn in as the new Queensland Governor - Brisbane 

3.40pm (AEDT) - Rugby league: Women's World Cup Group A Jillaroos v Wales - Sydney, watch on 7Plus

Bulgaria runoff election is on

The New York Marathon is on 

Movember begins

Ausmusic Month begins

All Saints’ Day

National Day for Antigua and Barbuda

World Vegan Day 

Birthdays for Apple Executive Chairman and former CEO Tim Cook (1960), Red Hot Chilli Peppers lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis (1962), Aussie singer Tina Arena (1967), and Aussie actor Toni Collette (1972)

Anniversary of:

• the first recorded performance of William Shakespeare's play Othello (1604) and premiere of the blockbuster film Titanic (1997)

• John Adams becoming the first US President to live in the White House (1800)

• the deployment of the first aerial bomb during the Italo-Turkish War (1911) 

• the first use of the Motion Picture Association film rating system G, M, R, X (1968)