Monday, 15 December - We get to carry each other

Good morning, it’s Monday, 15 December. In your Squiz Today…

• A terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

• More travel expense headaches for the federal government

• And couples dressing makes a comeback…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said beachgoer Marcos Carvalho after he was caught up in the tragic scene at one of Australia’s/the world’s most famous beaches late yesterday. He said what we’d reckon so many Aussies are thinking…

Terror strikes at Bondi Beach…

The Squiz

At least 16 people are dead, including a child, and 38, including 2 police officers, are injured after a mass shooting at Bondi Beach targeting the Jewish community late yesterday. Two gunmen - one of whom is dead and the other in a critical condition - opened fire on crowds gathered at a park near the northern end of Bondi where an event marking the first day of the Jewish festival Hanukkah was being held. Last night, police confirmed bombs were found in the gunmen’s car, and declared it a terror attack. PM Anthony Albanese, who held an emergency meeting of the Cabinet’s National Security Committee following the shooting, called it “an act of evil antisemitism”, saying “an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian”.

Bloody hell… 

Yep. It happened just after 6.45pm, with witnesses saying people were enjoying a summer evening “just like any Sunday arvo at Bondi” before the shooting began - forcing hundreds to flee. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an organiser of the ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ event targeted by the gunmen, has been identified as one of the victims this morning. Photos and videos show a grim scene as people ran in panic away from the northern end of the beach. There’s also the heroic moment when a bystander managed to disarm one of the attackers… The shooters were in custody within an hour, but police urged the public to stay away as the bomb squad worked to disarm the explosives found. Police have since carried out raids on homes at Bonnyrigg and Campsie in the city's southwest, and some reports have also named one of the shooters - although NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said they’re still investigating, including the possibility there was “a third offender”. 

What else do we know so far? 

Both Lanyon and ASIO Director Mike Burgess says one of the shooters was known to their organisations, but Burgess says they weren’t considered “an immediate threat”. NSW Premier Chris Minns was asked about that last night - he says there will be a "full inquiry" into the attack, including whether there were intelligence or policing failures. And Australia's response to antisemitism is also in focus - Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal, who published a plan to tackle the problem in June that the government is yet to fully respond to, says "this did not come without warning" and "words are no longer enough". The attack is our worst mass shooting since Tasmania’s Port Arthur massacre in 1996. This morning, Bondi Beach remains an active crime scene, and emergency services are expected to give a full update a bit later. Here's a link to a liveblog where you can stay across the latest updates.

Squiz the Rest

A Syrian flashpoint

US President Donald Trump says his military will retaliate after 2 soldiers and an interpreter were killed by an alleged Islamic State (IS) gunman in the Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday. Three other US soldiers were injured in the ambush while carrying out counter-terrorism operations before the gunman was shot dead. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the soldiers were working in a “dangerous area” of the country that’s not fully controlled by Syrian forces. He said Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa is “extremely angry and disturbed” by the attack, and added “there will be very serious retaliation”. It comes a month after al-Sharaa’s first visit to the White House, which saw Syria join a US-led coalition carrying out military ops against IS, and reports say that’s led to more instability in the region.

More travel headaches…

Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is the latest to be caught up in the politicians' travel entitlements saga that keeps giving… Yesterday, the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) told Rowland to repay “a portion” of more than $21,000 she charged to taxpayers (including $16,050 on family flights…) for a trip to Perth in 2023 - which she's agreed to do. Rowland referred her spending to the IPEA after her claims for that trip surfaced, and later the IPEA said some of the family reunion travel expenses were “outside the guidelines”. With scrutiny of pollies’ entitlements growing, PM Anthony Albanese asked the IPEA on Friday to review the rules governing all travel entitlements. It ain’t over yet…

Cracking down on supermarket pricing 

When not talking about pollies’ travel entitlements (and then, sadly, the tragedy that unfolded at Bondi…), the Albanese Government yesterday talked up its new ‘excessive pricing’ rules coming in July next year. It’s introducing a ban on price-gouging, which basically means charging prices at the checkout that are excessive compared to the cost of supply. If supermarkets breach the new rules, they could face fines of up to $10 million, and in extreme cases, 10% of their turnover for the prior year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was about "getting a fairer go for families in their weekly shop", but the supermarket giants have pushed back, saying it'll create "an uneven playing field" where foreign-owned companies can charge "whatever they want".

An impawfect ruling

Last year, a South Oz council worker was awarded compensation after she tripped over a pet fence and injured herself while working from home in 2022. It got a fair bit of attention at the time, but that ruling was overturned by the South Australian Employment Tribunal last week after the Local Government Association lodged an appeal. It was decided that the fence she’d put up to protect her pet rabbit from a friend’s dog she was minding wasn’t a work thing, so the case is set for a re-hearing next year… Employers are watching this like a dog watches a rabbit because of the questions it raises. And it adds to a couple of recent developments… Victoria committed to laws allowing WFH for 2 days a week, and a Westpac worker won her case after refusing to return to the office after she moved 80km away. 

Doubly juicy

It's not a colour you see often on red carpets, but matching outfits in bright orange made sure that Timothée Chalamet and girlfriend Kylie Jenner stood out at the LA premiere of his latest movie Marty Supreme. Cue a heap of commentary about couples dressing and what it means… As this gallery shows, his ‘n hers dressing is nothing new, but with the likes of Kimothée and Harry Styles and Zoe Kravitz getting on board, it’s having a resurgence… One fashion commentator says it signals the strength of a couple’s “bond and togetherness”, while trend forecaster J’Nae Phillips reckons it’s purely a branding exercise. Whatever your take on the Chalamet-Jenner lewk, as Fashion Critical puts it, at least they’re being safe in their high-vis…

Apropos of Nothing

The man, the myth, the Hollywood legend… Dick van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday, and he reckons “a hundred years is not enough - you want to live more”. He’s just won a VMA for his part in a Coldplay music video, so he’s definitely seizing the day…

Kylie Minogue has just scored her 11th #1 album in the UK - and if the songs sound familiar, it’s because it’s a reissue of her 2015 album Kylie Christmas. This version is called Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), and it contains 4 newly recorded tracks. She’s now level with David Bowie and Eminem as an all-time album chart topper…

If you’re a sky-watcher, you’ll already be across this, but the night skies across Oz have been putting on a show over the weekend thanks to the Geminid meteor shower. Here’s a peek at what’s been happening… Early birds have got another chance to see it clearly tomorrow morning.

Squiz the Day

1.20pm (AEDT) - The Reserve Bank’s Head of Financial Stability Andrea Brischetto will address the Sydney Banking and Financial Stability Conference

6.00pm (AEDT) - Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron will attend the Australian premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash, starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver - Sydney

7.00pm (AEDT) - AFLW National Draft

US envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and EU officials for more peace talks - Berlin, Germany

The UN Security Council will convene for an open debate on ‘Leadership for Peace’ - New York

National Cat Herders Day - ‘tis the season…

🎄 It’s 10 days until Christmas…

Anniversary of:

• The premiere of Gone with the Wind (1939)

• the Soviet Union's Venera 7 becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet (Venus) (1970)

• the deaths of musician and composer Glenn Miller (1944), animator and producer Walt Disney (1966) and actress Joan Fontaine (2013)

Tuesday
2.00am (AEDT) - Sky-watchers can catch the last of the Geminid meteor shower over Oz. Here are some tips…