Friday, 9 February - Burning down the house

Good morning, it’s Friday, 9 February. In your Squiz Today…

• Plans for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics have been thrown into chaos, with a bigwig questioning a major venue

• The family of missing Victorian mum Samantha Murphy are pleading for her return

• And happy Year of the Wood Dragon… 🐉

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Squiz Sayings

Said a surprisingly chipper Prince William as he stepped out for the first time since his dad’s cancer diagnosis with none other than Tom Cruise. They were at a fundraiser for London's Air Ambulance where the Hollywood wingman was asked to restrain his need for speed…

Dropping the ball on the Olympics

The Squiz

A stadium snafu is growing in Queensland, where tensions over a future Olympic venue boiled over yesterday… The Gabba (aka the Brisbane Cricket Ground, located in the suburb of Woolloongabba…) was due to undergo a $2.7 billion rebuild ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, where it was set to play centre stage. But yesterday, John Coates, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president/Aussie Olympics overlord, said the redevelopment “just doesn’t stack up” and should be ditched. That’s left the Queensland Government and Olympic officials scrambling just 8 years out from the Brissie Games.

What’s the problem?

The price tag. Much like the controversial rebuild of the Sydney Football Stadium, the Gabba knockdown/expansion will be costly, and with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Queensland Premier Steven Miles is reconsidering the options. Last month, he launched a review of the Games' infrastructure masterplan, with the bill coming in at about $7 billion across several venues. Miles said locals are "concerned about that level of expense" (something Victorians know all too well after the 2026 Commonwealth Games were canned last year over budget blowouts…). Another issue with the Gabba redevelopment is that a neighbouring heritage-listed school would have to be relocated. Coates says the problems are bringing the Games into disrepute and suggested moving to alternative venues. But the state government is waiting on the review report, due on 18 March, before making any moves.

Who said sport was all fun and games?

It’s a good point… But to talk sport for a sec, how about Aussie basketball legend Lauren Jackson - she’s hoping to lead the Opals to her 5th Olympics after recovering from what looked like a career-ending Achilles tear just last year. The 42yo already retired once back in 2016 with chronic knee pain, but she’s bounced back with coach Sandy Brondello saying Jackson “has amazed me for decades”. The Opals begin their Olympic qualifying campaign today. We’re also signed up to the Michelle Heyman fan club - she’s the 35yo striker who has made it back into the Matildas squad after quitting football 5 years ago. "Australia, I can do this," she said this week. Go, you good things…

Small Business, Big Impact

Small Business, Big Impact is a podcast to guide employers through the recently changed legislation that supports employees at risk of or experiencing family and domestic violence. Across 10 short episodes, host Gretel Killeen speaks with experts to help you understand your obligations. A link to listen is here.

Squiz the Rest

Without a trace

The family of missing Victorian woman Samantha Murphy have made a tearful plea to get her home. Daughter Jess Murphy and Samantha’s husband Mick fronted the media to thank Ballarat locals for their support 5 days after Samantha disappeared while on her morning jog. Inspector Lisa Macdougall says, "there are no suspicious circumstances that we've identified at this stage", but "we are keeping an open mind". And in Queensland, the daughter of Ipswich stabbing victim Vyleen White has joined African community leaders calling for calm in the aftermath of her mum’s violent death. Cindy Micallef said the best way to honour her mum "is for us to preach peace” after reports some African families have been verbally abused.

AGL’s profits are cooking with gas

Energy giant AGL has posted an underlying net profit of $399 million for the first half of the financial year - it’s notable because it’s quadruple the profit recorded 12 months earlier and is 28% higher than predicted. AGL’s share price was up 15% on the news, to the delight of investors... The company says better market conditions and higher wholesale electricity pricing are behind the bumper result. And it's that second reason why many customers are not quite as happy as its shareholders… Following recent talk of price gouging in Oz, AGL was on the defensive yesterday, with boss Damien Nicks saying the profit is a correction on the previous "very, very tough financial year". Analysts have also tipped wholesale power costs to moderate this year, and that could also mean lower bills for customers. We can but dream…

Two dead deals

Hopes for peace in the Middle East anytime soon have been dashed as politicians in the US and Israel said a hard ‘no’ to 2 major proposals yesterday. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the latest ceasefire deal with Hamas, saying there is “no other solution but a complete and final victory”. That means he won’t stop the war until Hamas is eradicated. And in the US, Senate Republicans voted down a US$118 billion bill that would have provided millions of dollars in aid to Gaza and Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump encouraged Republicans to vote against it - their support for the aid was contingent on upping restrictions at the US-Mexico border, and in Trump’s view, those restrictions didn’t go far enough... Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to vote on an emergency package to provide foreign aid funding without the controversial border components.

Happy Year of the Wood Dragon

Millions of people are on the move ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations this weekend, but many thousands of people in China have already had their plans scuppered due to heavy snow. Icy conditions have seen backed-up highways, but the government is on the case, spending millions of dollars on emergency snow removal to ensure people can safely enjoy the holiday. If you're unsure what it's all about but are keen to get involved, there will be thousands of free events across Oz, particularly in Sydney, which hosts the largest celebrations outside of Asia. This year of the Wood Dragon is said to be bringing a baby boom - and if you're keen to know what the year ahead has in store for you, here’s a handy guide to discovering your Chinese zodiac. Be prosperous and enjoy…

Pattiserie meets pyro

If you’ve been meticulously refining your expert Victorian piping skills or furiously baking mega-long sheet cakes in pursuit of the latest wedding trend, you can quite literally set fire to that idea because this month, it's all about burn-away cakes… Picture a cake with an image printed on sugar/rice paper, which you then set fire to, revealing another image on the icing underneath. Clearly, a basic candle isn't cutting it anymore... Like all new trends, it's exploded - quite literally - on TikTok, fuelled by Canadian baking supreme Namaya Navaratnaranjah - aka @CakesByNams - who's racked up tens of millions of views/likes. Sounds like a blazing party idea, but probably best to have a fire extinguisher ready just in case…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We started watching Feud: Capote vs the Swans last weekend, and we're 100% down for the next instalments that have dropped on Binge this week. Based on the famous author Truman Capote's betrayal of his high society female friends, the characters brought to life by Naomi Watts, Tom Hollander, Demi Moore, and so many others make it delicious.  

We know ballet flats can be divisive - but we’re on board with their resurgence set to peak this year. This is why we’ve been researching how to wear them without stuffing up your feet and what other flat shoe trends are kicking around. 

This is very off-brand for us, but this recipe for smashed broccoli with a white bean aioli is yum. Our view is that any effort to turn the green stuff into chips and dip should be rewarded…

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

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The Ledbury made history as the first Aussie-led eatery to be awarded 3 Michelin stars… But it's located in London. So, we're curious which Aussie restaurant would earn your 3-star rating?

Squiz the Day

Friday
From 8.15am (AEDT) - The National Regional Housing Summit - Canberra

9.30am (AEDT) - Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock to appear before the House of Reps Economic Committee - Canberra 

10.00am (AEDT) - Women’s Basketball Olympic Qualifier - Australia v Brazil - Brazil 

7.00pm (AEDT) - Mens Cricket T20I Series - Australia v West Indies - Hobart

ABS Data Release - Monthly Business Turnover Indicator, December 

New York Fashion Week begins (on until 14 February)

World Pulses Day 

Birthdays for author Alice Walker (1944), Derryn Hinch (1944), Mia Farrow (1945), Gina Rineheart (1954), Glenn McGrath (1970), Tom Hiddleston (1981), Michael B. Jordan (1987) and Rose Leslie (1987)

Anniversary of: 

• the first flight of a Boeing 727 jet (1963)

• the Beatles performing their first-ever gig at Liverpool's Cavern Club (1961) and their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (1964)

• the death of Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II (2002)

Saturday
2.40pm (AEDT) - Women's Cricket One Day International Series - Australia v South Africa - Adelaide

11.00pm (AEDT) - Women's Hockey FIH Pro League - Netherlands v Australia - India

Royal Hobart Regatta begins (on until 12 Feb)   

Chinese Lunar New Year rings in the year of the Wood Dragon

Birthdays for actors Laura Dern (1967), Elizabeth Banks (1974) and Chloe Grace Moretz (1997)

Anniversary of:

• the debut of the Tom & Jerry cartoon (1940)

• the sinking of the HMAS Voyager after colliding with aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne killing 82 people (1964)

• more than 30 bushfires in NSW being put out by the heaviest rainfall in 30 years, helping end one of Australia’s worst bushfire seasons ever (2020) 

Sunday
7.00am (AEDT) - Women’s Basketball Olympic Qualifier - Australia v Germany - Brazil

From 9.00am (AEDT) - The Australian Toy, Hobby and Licensing Fair - Melbourne 

9.30am (ACDT) - Australian 20km Race Walking Championships - Adelaide 

7.00pm (AWST) - Men’s Cricket T20I Series - Australia v West Indies - Adelaide

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 

Birthdays for Jennifer Aniston (1969) and Khalid (1998)

Anniversary of:

• the first first-class game of cricket played in Australia. It was Tasmania v Victoria in Launceston (1851)

• a 20.2kg lobster was caught off Nova Scotia - the heaviest crustacean ever caught (1977)

• Nelson Mandela being released from Victor Verster Prison in South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner (1990)

• Ex-tropical Cyclone Gabrielle making landfall near Auckland New Zealand and killing 11 people (2023)