Friday, 6 February - Walking in a winter wonderland

Good morning, it’s Friday, 6 February. In your Squiz Today…

• The attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally has been declared a terrorist act

• Police are investigating the disappearance of 4yo Gus Lamont in South Oz as a major crime

• And we’re recommending a sweet and salty summer salad…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Associated Press journalist Emma Burrows after one of her team’s cameras went mysteriously missing during a shoot in the Arctic circle. While pulling off the theft, the thieving pooch pressed record - so the entire crime was recorded. It’s no Louvre heist, buddy…

Terror charges are laid in Perth

The Squiz

Western Oz Premier Roger Cook announced yesterday that a bomb thrown into an Invasion Day rally on 26 January has officially been labelled as a terrorist attack. A 31-year-old man - who cannot be named due to a suppression order over safety fears - has been charged with engaging in a terrorist act, the first time the charge has been used in the state. It’s also the second designated terrorist attack in a few months after the 14 December shooting at Bondi Beach. Cook said the attempted bombing was driven by a "racist, hateful ideology" and that "we have every right to be angry."

Remind me what happened…

Midway through the rally in Forrest Place, a famous gathering spot in Perth’s CBD, police began evacuating the crowd after the device was thrown from a nearby balcony. It didn’t detonate, but it contained ball bearings and nails, and Cook said it had the potential to cause a “mass casualty event”. Given the apparent targeting of Indigenous people at a public rally, there were plenty of questions about why officials hadn’t labelled it a terrorist incident immediately. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch explained that police were working to determine the man’s motive first, and they’re now alleging that the suspect’s Internet history showed he had “self-radicalised” by accessing “pro-white material” online.

So what’s going to happen next?

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says the accused faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if found guilty, and the AFP investigated whether the accused was working alone and concluded that there was “no ongoing risk to the community”. But Commissioner Blanch said he has noticed an increase in hateful rhetoric towards Indigenous people in Western Oz, and urged Aussies to come forward if they feared a friend or relative was being radicalised online. Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said it was another attack on Oz’s social cohesion, and “we need to be vigilant, and… deliberately work towards a social, cohesive community.” The 31yo is set to face court on 17 February.

A fix for an overstuffed suitcase

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Squiz the Rest

Gus’s disappearance is now a major crime…

We’re talking about 4yo Gus Lamont, who was reported missing more than 4 months ago. You’ll likely recognise the blonde-haired little boy’s photo - it’s been in the news regularly since he disappeared from his family’s South Oz sheep property, Oak Park Station, 350km north of Adelaide… Police first thought he’d wandered off from the homestead, where he was last seen playing by his grandmother. But they’ve now found “no evidence” of that, despite “unprecedented” foot searches by more than 390 officers and volunteers. Other theories are that he was abducted, or that someone known to him was involved in his disappearance and suspected death. Police have identified a suspect who lives at Oak Park Station - but they’ve stressed that Gus’s parents are not persons of interest.

Mental health care under the microscope

NSW Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has shared her findings from the Westfield Bondi Junction attack inquest, and top of the list of recommendations is reviewing the state’s mental health system… Joel Cauchi, a 40yo Queensland man who lived with schizophrenia, was unmedicated when he stabbed 6 people to death in the shopping centre. Among her recommendations, O’Sullivan said the state government should review the decline in mental health outreach services and resource availability, with a timeline to improve them. Andrea Boros-Lavack, Cauchi’s former psychiatrist, has also been referred to the Queensland ombudsman to review her care of him after she “did not adequately monitor him for early warning signs of relapse”. Outside the court, victims’ families welcomed the findings.

UK PM Keir Starmer apologises…

…for his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as his country’s ambassador to the US, despite Mandelson’s ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We mentioned Mandelson yesterday - he’s a former Labour minister (the same party as Starmer) - and while he’s known to have had connections with Epstein, the latest release of files have led to a criminal investigation over whether Mandelson leaked government info to the late financier. It’s a big scandal in the UK (with an Oz connection), and it’s putting pressure on the PM’s leadership - in his apology this morning, Starmer said that the ambassador had lied to him about his Epstein links. He told Epstein’s victims that he “was sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him”.  Despite the apology, the PM’s future seems in pretty serious question - one Labour MP says it’s “inevitable” that he’ll have to resign…

Finalising a security deal

PM Anthony Albanese flew to Indonesia yesterday afternoon to meet with President Prabowo Subianto - where the pair are expected to sign off on a new bilateral security agreement. It’s called the Australian-Indonesia Treaty on Common Security (catchy…) - and it was announced in November as the Albanese Government pushed for pacts with several allies in the Indo-Pacific region (like the Pukpuk Treaty with Papua New Guinea…). Details are still scarce, but Foreign Minister Penny Wong says it’s the “most important step in strengthening our partnership in 30 years.” Worth noting: analysts say Prabowo has been increasingly cracking down on critics of his administration, which could complicate the relationship with Australia. We’ll be waiting to find out more today…

There’s no business like snow business

The Opening Ceremony will kick off this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy bright and early tomorrow at 6am AEDT. It’ll be an unusual Games, with events set to take place across a massive area encompassing the city of Milan and ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo (thus, Milano-Cortina). Most of the action will take place while we’re fast asleep, but here are some key dates if you’re planning to skip some kip: gold medal chance Jakara Anthony in the moguls (12 and 14 February), Matt Graham in the same event on (12 and 15 February), and snowboarder Scotty James in the halfpipe on 14 February. Channel 9 has the rights, so you’ll be able to check it out across their channels, as well as streaming service Stan. Go for cold… we mean, gold…
*For a full preview of the Winter Games, check out our Squiz Shortcut…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Part spy drama, part buddy comedy Ponies is a fun watch on BINGE - starring Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke, it’s the story of 2 spy spouses who get into spywork themselves after their husbands go missing. It’s funny and often thrilling…

We’ve also been enjoying Dog Park, ABC’s new dramedy starring Leon Ford, Celia Pacquola and Brooke Satchwell. Come for the joyous pooches, stay for the characters, keep some tissues handy and prepare to have Ratcat stuck in your head. Catch it on iView… 

It’s February, but it’s still pretty hot… So a summery salad seems like a perfect salve - and this watermelon and feta one will hit the spot. It balances the sweet watermelon with the salty feta, and we found making it as easy as pie… or as easy as salad, maybe…

Squiz the Day

Friday
8.00am (AEDT) - Sydney Summit, the Committee for Sydney's annual half-day leadership conference. The 2026 theme is 'The Bold City'

9.00am (AEDT) - The current deadline for Nationals leader David Littleproud to respond to Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s offer to reform the Coalition - though that may change… 

9.30am (AWST) - Mention for 20yo Brodie Jake Dewar who was charged with assaulting former Labor strategist Tim Picton. Dewar is currently being charged with grievous bodily harm, but that is likely to be upgraded to manslaughter since Picton’s death - Perth

9.30am (AEDT) - Public hearing: the federal parliament’s standing committee on economics will hear from the RBA following the release of its first Monetary Policy Decision of 2026 - Canberra

5.00pm (AEDT) - New talks are set to begin between the US and Iran over Iran’s nuclear programme - Muscat, Oman

7.30pm (AEST) - AACTA Awards ceremony: Sarah Snook will receive the Trailblazer Award in recognition of her global impact on screen - Gold Coast, you can watch that on Channel 10

PM Anthony Albanese is in Indonesia to sign a new bilateral security agreement 

The National Multicultural Festival is on in Canberra until 8 February

News Corp and REA will release their half-year financial results, and Atlassian will release its second-quarter results 

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation 

The winner will be announced for The Guardian's poll for the best Aussie picture book of all time 

Waitangi Day in New Zealand - it’s the 185th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (1840)

A birthday for singer Rick Astley (1966)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Ronald Reagan (1911) and Bob Marley (1945)

• Queen Elizabeth II marking her Platinum Jubilee - 70 years on the throne (2022)

• the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria killing more than 50,000 people and displacing over 3 million people (2023)

Saturday

6.00 am (AEDT) - Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, Milano-Cortina 2026 - Milan, you can stream it on 9now 

9.00am (AEDT) - Mountain biking: Day one of the Red Bull Hardline competition, which ends 8 February - Maydena

5.30pm (AEDT) - Rugby League: NRL Pre-season challenge Round 1 Bulldogs v Cowboys followed by Dragons v Knights - Jubilee Stadium, Sydney, watch it on Kayo 

6.00pm (AEDT) - Day one of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games - Milan, you can stream it on 9now 

Laneway Festival kicks off in Australia on the Gold Coast, with Chappell Roan headlining the festival tour

International Pisco Sour Day

Birthdays for singer Garth Brooks (1962), actor Ashton Kutcher (1978), and comedian Chris Rock (1965)

Anniversary of:

• the colonial Tasmanian Parliament passing the world's first secret ballot (1856)

• New Zealand's worst maritime tragedy - HMS Orpheus sunk off the coast of Auckland killing 189 people (1863)

• the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, which killed 173 people (2009)

Sunday

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will arrive in Australia for a 5-day trip to meet with senior Australian politicians and survivors of the Bondi Beach massacre 

Japanese election - the current PM Sanae Takaichi and her party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), are expecting a landslide victory 

Thailand’s general election - the progressive People's Party is expected to win the most votes, but potentially not form government 

Laugh And Get Rich Day

Birthdays for screen composer John Williams (1932) and author John Grisham (1955)

Anniversary of:

• the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1587)

• the birthdays of author Jules Verne (1828), actor James Dean (1931)