Friday, 4 September - All the women who are independent

Good morning, it’s Friday, 4 September. In your Squiz Today…

• The Pacific Island Forum wraps up

• Vale Gloria Steinem

• And earworm Choosin’ Texas set to break records in the US… 🤠

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said one person on socials, after a couple in the Philippines refused to let flooding get in the way of their wedding - with the bride wading down the aisle in her white (ish) dress through murky water. For wetter or for worse…

PM in Palau

The Squiz

Anthony Albanese has been talking up Australia’s climate credentials at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Palau this week - but the event had a few hiccups. The leaders of Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa and Vanuatu were no-shows, and a dispute between China and Taiwan dominated. Beijing was cranky that the self-governing island (that it claims is part of its territory) got the invite - and while we’re talking China, there was a lot of chat about its missile test in the Pacific region back in July.

Remind me what China did?

It fired a ballistic missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, from a submarine that travelled over multiple Pacific islands before ending up in waters near Tuvalu. This happened hours after Fiji and Oz signed a defence treaty, and it ruffled a few feathers at the time - our PM said it was ‘destabilising’ to the region. PIF chair Surangel Whipps Jr (who’s also Palau’s President) has been calling for the 18 member ‌nations to band together to condemn China for its actions - but some countries like Naoero (formerly Nauru) and Kiribati haven’t been keen. They’ve gotten closer to Beijing in recent years, and say the US also does similar missile tests, but PM Albanese says China’s actions were different because, unlike America, it didn’t give enough notice, although Beijing claims it did.

What else have they discussed?

Climate change has been high on the agenda, with the PIF members expected to sign a joint declaration - but it was awkward timing for PM Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. That’s because while they were on their Palau trip, it emerged Oz had given the green light to extend a Queensland coal mine, leading to questions about how serious Oz is about reducing emissions while exporting fossil fuels. It’s a hot topic - overnight, the UN has said this year’s El Niño could be the strongest since records began, and it also released a report earlier this week saying the world isn’t acting fast enough when it comes to global warming. The countdown is on for the COP31 summit (this is the one Oz originally wanted to host - but Türkiye pipped us to the post), so we’re now putting on a warm-up event alongside Fiji and Tuvalu next month.

Knowing where to turn

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Squiz the Rest

Her name was Molly

A sentencing hearing for Daniel Billings, who pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-girlfriend, 28yo childcare worker Molly Ticehurst in April 2024, began yesterday. You might remember this case because it sparked a national movement against domestic and gendered violence, and it led to tighter bail laws in NSW for people accused of those offences, known as ‘Molly’s Law’. Reports say about 50 of Molly’s family and friends filled the NSW Supreme Court in the central-western town of Orange, many wearing T-shirts saying ‘Her name was Molly’. In a victim impact statement, Molly’s father Tony Ticehurst described his daughter as big-hearted and deeply loved, saying “I will be forever proud to be her dad”. The hearing will continue today, with Justice Natalie Adams expected to hand down her sentence later in the month.
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Vale Gloria Steinem

The author and activist, who became a leading figure in the US women's liberation movement, has died aged 92yo. Her foundation posted on her Instagram saying that she passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by loved ones. She started her career as a journo - and went on to co-found Ms. magazine in 1972, one of the first publications to focus on women's issues outside of housekeeping and beauty. She also went undercover, reporting on the degrading conditions for women in Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US, and tributes are coming in thick and fast, including from Hillary Clinton and Meghan Markle, who called Gloria her “friend and mentor”.

Re-lighting the debate over smokes

The Coalition has come up with a plan to shut down the black market tobacco trade in Oz by cutting the excise - AKA tax - on cigarettes by 80%. Leader Angus Taylor announced the policy yesterday, which would also see vapes legalised for general adult sale and taxed instead of restricted to pharmacies. It comes after weeks of federal debate over the excise (currently around $30 for a packet of 20), with One Nation planning to reduce it by 75%. But the Coalition denied pinching the policy of its conservative rival, with Taylor saying the current model is funnelling money to criminals and fuelling crime while taxpayers are losing billions in revenue. He added: “We need to ensure we take away the profits, take away the customers and hit what is left with the full force of the law”.
*For more of the backstory to the fight against illegal tobacco, check out our Squiz Shortcut…

The Eurekas are announced

Professor Georgina Long has won Australia’s top scientific research prize for her work in transforming advanced melanoma from a fatal diagnosis into a treatable disease by activating the patient's own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. You might remember that her latest breakthrough involves leading a world-first, large-scale clinical trial for a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine. The results will be out for that next month. Unlike standard treatments, this vaccine is tailored to the exact genetic profile of an individual’s tumour, and it aims to stop the cancer from returning after surgery. Professor Long said: “We’re all on this planet for a tiny, tiny, tiny time… And there’s only one point: to make a difference as much as you can, and do it well.” What a legend…

A Lang time at the top

Should you have been within cooee of a radio over the last year, it’s likely you’ve caught a few bars of Choosin’ Texas, a pop country song by Ella Langley. It’s a track about being with a partner who’s still pining for his ex/hometown, and it’s on track to become one of the biggest hits of all time. It just spent its 20th week at the top of the US Billboard chart, passing Old Town Road and A Bar Song (also country tunes). The only song to spend more time at the top is Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You, which notched up its 22 weeks over several years. And it’s not just a US thing, either - Choosin’ Texas has spent over 10 weeks at the top of the ARIA charts as well. It’s a smash hit, earning a possible Drake remix, a Matthew McConaughey cover and a medieval interpretation, just for starters…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We filled the Off Campus-shaped hole in our lives right on up with Sterling Point. It’s sweet and funny - a little bit far-fetched, we’ll admit - but it’s the kind of escapism reserved for lazy weekend arvos on the couch. Find it on Prime Video.

Singer Olivia Rodrigo’s celebration of women in music Daisy Chain Fields was last weekend, and she invited the legendary Stevie Nicks on stage for a duet of Landslide. This clip gave us chills - watch it here.

We’ve been snacking on these hazelnut horseshoe bickies with coffee all week. They’re by Squizer Siobhan Rogers, and we know it’s not your favourite when we point to Instagram recipes, but they’re too good (and easy) not to share…

Squiz the Day

Friday

10.00am (AEST) - The Australian Fathering Awards, hosted by The Fathering Project to recognise and celebrate the fathers, male role models and workplaces making a difference in the lives of children and families. The event will be hosted by Governor-General Sam Mostyn - Sydney 

12.00pm (AEST) - Bec Daniher to deliver the opening address at the Like Father, Like Daughter Father’s Day luncheon celebrating the influence of fathers and allies in empowering women and girls through sport - Melbourne 

7.30pm (AEST) - Basketball: FIBA Women's World Cup Group C Australia v Puerto Rico - Berlin, watch on Kayo 

Coalition Leader Angus Taylor will address the Menzies Research Centre, delivering a speech titled 'Crushing the illegal tobacco market'

The annual outback Birdsville Races begin, helping to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (until 5 September) - Birdsville 

Australian Bureau of Stats data release: labour account, June 2026 

Athletics: Diamond League Final (until 5 September) - Brussels, watch on Age of Sports on YouTube

Football: Women’s Super League 2026-27 season begins

Brisbane Festival begins (until 26 September)

Taste Bundaberg Festival begins (until 13 September)

Telluride Film Festival begins, kicking off the US fall festival season (until 7 September)

International Taekwondo Day 🥋

Birthdays for Aussie swimmer Dawn Fraser (1937), musician Mark Ronson (1975), Aussie journalist Samantha Armytage (1976) and singer/icon Beyoncé (1981)

Anniversary of:

• the First Opium War beginning in China (1839)

• the founding of the city of Los Angeles (1781)

• George Eastman patenting the first roll-film camera and registering under the name ‘Kodak (1888)

• English author Beatrix Potter first writing the story of Peter Rabbit for a 5yo boy (1893)

• the founding of Google (1998)

• the deaths of Steve Irwin (2006) and Joan Rivers (2014)

• Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam withdrawing controversial extradition bill to China after 3 months of massive protests (2019)

Saturday
Triple J's One Night Stand festival - Griffith 

International Bacon Day 🥓

International Day of Charity

Be Late for Something Day

Birthdays for actor Michael Keaton (1951), British designer and writer India Hicks (1967), and actor and activist Rose McGowan (1973)

Anniversary of:

• Christine Hardt patenting the first modern brassiere (1889)

• the premieres of The Muppet Show (1976)

• the birthday of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (1946)

• the death of Mother Teresa (1997)

• Hurricane Irma becoming the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin region with winds of 280km/hr (2017)

Sunday
5.00am (AEST) - Rugby Union: Argentina v Wallabies test match - Argentina, watch on Stan

7.30pm (AEST) - Basketball: FIBA Women's World Cup Group C Türkiye v Australia - Berlin, watch on Kayo 

11.00pm (AEST) - Motorsports: Formula One Italian Grand Prix - Monza, watch on Kayo 🏁

It’s Father’s Day

German State election in Saxony-Anhalt. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is eyeing off its first state-level win

Child Protection Week begins (until 12 September)

National Fight Procrastination Day

Colourblind Awareness Day 

A birthday for actor Idris Elba (1972)

Anniversary of 

• the first supermarket, the Piggly Wiggly, being opened in Memphis, Tennessee (1916)

• the funeral of Princess Diana, held at London's Westminster Abbey in London (1997) 

• the deaths of Luciano Pavarotti (2007), Burt Reynolds (2018) and Robert Mugabe (2019)