Friday, 6 September - Regrets, I’ve had a few

Your fresh market update with Woolworths

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

  • Bill Shorten farewells politics

  • A big telco for the regions

  • And more Aussie gold in Paris…🥇

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Open-concept floor plan.”

Is real estate agent Kevin Wheeler’s way of describing what’s left of a Californian house crushed by a tree that’s currently on the market for $740,000. And we thought Australia’s property market was rough…

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He did it his way

The Squiz

Bill Shorten, the former Labor Party leader/current NDIS Minister, has announced he’s moving on from his federal parliamentary career after 17 years. Quoting Old Blue Eyes at his press conference yesterday, Shorten said the “extraordinary highs” and “difficult lows” left him feeling lucky “to have had the chance to serve” - but now he’ll move into a new career while still being “relatively young enough” at 57yo in the lucrative role as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra. 

How will his political career be remembered?

The story starts well before he was elected in the seat of ​​Maribyrnong in 2007 - Shorten was a top unionist in Victoria from 1998 with the Australian Workers’ Union. His representation of the workers involved in the 2006 Beaconsfield mine disaster saw him come to national attention and assisted his rise during the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd era. After their defeat, Shorten became party leader, and he ran (rather uniquely…) with some big policies - but he lost the “unlosable” 2019 federal election to the Coalition’s Scott “I’ve always believed in miracles” Morrison, leaving Anthony Albanese to pick up the pieces. And since Labor’s win in 2021, he’s been overseeing a major NDIS overhaul that is still underway. Yesterday, notable names from across politics paid tribute to Shorten - former Coalition PM Tony Abbott was one who said he was “a fierce opponent” who “always put our country first”. 

What does it mean for Labor?

Well, Shorten’s not out the door straight away - Albanese’s asked “his friend” to remain in Cabinet until February, but it will give the PM another shot at reshuffling his frontbench - months after the last one - as he looks ahead to the upcoming federal election. A side note - the PM kept it friendly yesterday, but as former rivals for the party leadership, it’s well known the pair have had a tense relationship… Personal issues aside, Shorten’s resignation comes at the end of another difficult week for Team Albanese with the struggling economy and party links to the scandal-plagued unions bubbling along as issues. And with parliament resuming on Monday, this weekend’s papers will likely be chockers with commentary about how things are shaping up as we head towards a vote. Just giving you a heads up…

Your fresh market update…

At the Squiz, we’re all about giving you the useful stuff. So, we’ve teamed up with Woolies to share their top weekly fruit and veg picks. Here’s what to grab this week:

🥬 Cos & iceberg lettuce - Pro tip: look for bright green leaves - that means the crunch will be spectacular. 

🫐 Blueberries - It’s been ideal growing conditions for these little sweeties - so fresh, in baked goods, or in smoothies, you can’t go wrong… 

🥕 Organic carrots - Crunchy and sweet, these are salad-ready as spring swings into gear.

Squiz the Rest

Déjà vu Russian style…

In a scenario reminiscent of the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, the US has filed charges and sanctioned multiple Russian media executives to “aggressively counter" a “widespread” campaign to interfere in November’s ballot. US Attorney General Merrick Garland says Russia’s state broadcaster RT allegedly paid a Tennessee firm US$10 million to "create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging" to help secure Russia’s "preferred outcome" of a Donald Trump win over Kamala Harris. That included paying conservative influencers to publish videos “amplifying US domestic divisions” and creating fake websites/social media profiles to reduce support for Ukraine. And while we’re talking about the presidential election… The Trump/Harris campaigns have finally agreed to the rules for their first debate on Wednesday morning our time, so pop that in your diary.

Calling all country folk

Our competition regulator - the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - has approved a telco network sharing deal between 2 of our largest mobile providers in what’s being painted as a win for regional Aussies. The $1.6 billion/11-year agreement will see TPG users access Optus’s network services, effectively doubling TPG’s nationwide coverage from early 2025. Vodafone, which is owned by TPG, called it a “game-changer”, while the acting boss of Optus Michael Venter says it’ll also allow them to “press the fast-forward button” on the outback 5G roll-out. Note: it’ll pretty much end Telstra’s regional monopoly. And in another company move, it was confirmed yesterday that Tassie’s King Island Dairy will close next year after a new buyer for the 120yo company couldn’t be found. If you’re like us and first discovered brie/camembert via the brand, it’s a grating development… 

A new Kiwi queen

It’s the British Royals who are usually making news in our world, but it was another monarchy much closer to home that attracted a lot of attention yesterday as a new Māori monarch was crowned in New Zealand. Ngā Wai hono i te pō was chosen as Kuini (Māori for queen), making her the second-ever woman to have the role. It follows the death of her 69yo father Kiingi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII last week. Yesterday, tens of thousands of Kiwis turned out to mourn his loss and witness the 27yo’s ascension in the small North Island town of Ngāruawāhia with an elaborate ceremony along the Waikato River. PM Christopher Luxon was overseas but sent his well-wishes, saying Kuini’s path would be “illuminated by the great legacy” of her father. Check out this video for a squiz at the traditional coronation…

Get a whiff of this…

The ​​2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes - dubbed the ‘Science Oscars’ - have been awarded, with 19 individuals/teams recognised across various research fields. You can read up on all of them here, but one to call out is Professor Peter Banks and his team’s win for developing something called “olfactory misinformation” to reduce the impact pest animals have on our flora and fauna. It works by using odours that smell like the invaders’ foods to steer them away from things like grain crops, seedlings and nesting birds. Banks reckons the idea was planted when he watched mice escaping from predators by “peeing everywhere” to throw them off their scent. The technique rules out the need for toxic poisons, and the plan is to work with the CSIRO to help farmers deploy it. Smells like a win…

It’s the final countdown

As we head into the final stretch of the Paris Paralympics, the Aussie medals keep coming… Overnight, para-cyclist and triathlete Lauren Parker became the first Australian to win gold in 2 events at the same Games in 48 years. The 35yo world champ took out the women’s H1-4 road race, adding to her para-triathlon win and her silver in the time trial. In the pool, Timothy Hodge won gold in the men’s 200m individual medley SM9 final, and on the track, reigning para-long jump queen Vanessa Low defended her T63 title to win gold and set a new world record. Australia is ninth on the medal table, with 14 gold and 45 medals all up - still a few shy of the 54 predicted. The Games wrap up on Monday morning, but there’s plenty of Aussies to cheer on over the weekend… One we’ll be watching is flagbearer Madison de Rozario when she takes to the cobblestones to defend her Tokyo para-marathon title on Sunday.

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Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Following the charging of Matthew Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa for illegally procuring the ketamine that led to his death, this Vanity Fair article explores the world of Hollywood assistants and raises the question: can you say no to a celebrity boss?

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ new album Wild God was on high rotation this week - it’s a look at where beauty and pain coalesce following his personal tragedies. Sounds dark, but it’s had rave reviews, and the Aussie icon sounds happy… 

The recent warm weather has us closing our eyes and wishing we were in Greece, but we’re keeping the dream alive at home with this Spanakopita recipe from our regular go-to chef Nagi Maehashi. Cheese, spinach and pastry - who could want more…

Squiz the Day

Friday
3.00pm (AEST) - Senate reports into the overseas university students cap and the Future Made in Australia Fund will be tabled - Canberra

7.40pm (AEST) - AFL: Second Elimination Final, Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn - Melbourne, and watch on Kayo

11.00pm (AEST) - Cricket: Scotland Men v Australia Men - Second T20I - UK, and watch on Kayo

The start of the Birdsville Races (until 7 Sep)

New York Fashion week begins (until 11 Sep)

Braveheart’s White Balloon Day to benefit child protection advocacy 

National Fight Procrastination Day

A birthday for actor Idris Elba (1972)

Anniversary of 

  • the Mayflower departing Plymouth, England with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World (1620)

  • the premiere of TV sitcom The Brady Bunch (1969)

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

Saturday
1.00am (AEST) - Surfing: WSL finals (on until 14 Sep) - California, US

3.20pm (AEST) - AFL: First Qualifying Final, Sydney Swans v GWS GIANTS - Sydney and watch on Kayo

5.00pm (AEST) - Basketball: the NBL Blitz begins with a double header - Tassie JackJumpers v Brisbane Bullets followed by Melbourne United v Cairns Taipans (the comp is on until 14 September) - Gold Coast

7.30pm (AEST) - AFL: First Elimination Final, Brisbane v Carlton - Brisbane, and watch on Kayo 

11.00pm (AEST) - Cricket: Scotland Men v Australia Men - Third T20I - UK, and watch on Kayo

Independence Day in Brazil

Threatened Species Day, on the anniversary of the death of the last Tassie Tiger, Benjamin, at the Hobart Zoo (1936)  

Anniversary of:

  • the start of the Blitz when Germany bombed London for 57 nights as the Nazis prepared for an invasion (1940)

  • the shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur (1996)

  • Tony Abbott becoming PM after the Coalition defeated the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd Labor Government (2013)

Sunday
5.00am (AEST) - Rugby: Argentina v Wallabies - Argentina

Tennis: US Open women’s singles final - New York, US and watch on 9Now

Bravery Trek begins to support Aussie veterans (until 12 October) 

World Physical Therapy Day

Birthdays for Bernie Sanders (1941), James Packer (1967), Martin Freeman (1971) and Pink (1979)

Anniversary of:

  • the unveiling of Michelangelo's David statue in Florence (1504)

  • the start of the Siege of Leningrad by German troops during WWII (1941)

  • the first national broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show in the US (1986)

  • the death of Queen Elizabeth II (2022)

Monday
4.00am (AEST) - Tennis: US Open men's singles final - New York, US and watch on 9Now

4.00am (AEST) - Paris Paralympics closing ceremony, and watch on 9Now