Monday, 28 October - Everybody take it off

October 28, 2024

Good morning. It’s Monday, 28 October. In your Squiz Today…

  • The LNP claims victory in Queensland 

  • Israel strikes back at Iran

  • And an 800yo mystery is solved…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“The worst part was setting the alarm for 1.45am.”

Said Monique Ross, who was one of the 5,500 people - a record in Australia - to get her kit off on Brisbane’s Story Bridge yesterday morning as part of artist/photographer Spencer Tunick’s latest work. Apparently the concrete of the bridge was very cold...

Queensland ushers in a new era

The Squiz

Liberal National Party (LNP) leader David Crisafulli will pay Queensland Governor Dr Jeannette Young a visit today to be sworn in after the party’s victory in the state election on Saturday. No seats have been officially declared by the state’s electoral commission but media reports are projecting the LNP to win at least 48 of 93 seats in its Legislative Assembly - and it’s expected to win 51 by the time the final votes roll in. Labor ended its nearly decade-long reign with 30 seats - and after refusing to give up the fight on Saturday night, leader Steven Miles congratulated Crisafulli yesterday. He said he was proud of the campaign he’d run, “but at the end of the day, clearly, Queenslanders for some time have wanted to see change”. 

So what now?

In his victory speech, Crisafulli promised to “govern with humility and decency and vision and tenacity” as he looks to deliver on the LNP’s election commitments. On that, one of their key promises was a crackdown on youth crime in Queensland, with the introduction of “adult crime, adult time” laws for serious offenders - and Crisafulli says they will be in place ”by Christmas time”. He’s also promised a new plan for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics in his first 100 days in office. First, though, he’ll have to confirm his Cabinet with a large swearing-in ceremony to follow in the coming days. The other thing to mention, given it wasn’t the landslide LNP victory many expected and after 10 months in the top job, Miles is gunning to stay on as Labor leader, but it’s expected that he’ll face a bit of a battle to do that. 

And does it mean anything for our federal politics?

Well, a federal election is due in the coming 6-7 months, so the question is whether Queensland’s result means anything for Labor more broadly. We’ve heard this song before - the Coalition will say abso-bloody-lutely, while Labor will say voters made their choice based on state issues… But another observation relates to the Greens because they lost seats on the weekend. Frustrated that the Greens are holding up his housing agenda, PM Anthony Albanese says the result should serve as a warning to the party. But Queensland Greens MP Michael Berkman said the lesson is Labor shouldn’t “fight with the Greens on policies we apparently agree on”. It’s not the only point of friction for Albanese going into the start of the week… He’s also under pressure to explain the dozens of free upgrades he’s received from Qantas, which he says were all publicly declared.

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Squiz the Rest

Israel targets Iranian weapons facilities

Israel has launched airstrikes on military targets in Iran, following through on weeks of promises to retaliate for Iran sending 200 ballistic missiles their way earlier this month. Satellite photos show the Israeli strikes hit a former nuclear weapons building and missile equipment facilities near Iran's capital Tehran on Friday night local time, killing at least 2 Iranian soldiers. Senior US officials say the strikes have “crippled” Iran’s ability to add to its missile stockpile, which will potentially prevent it from hitting back. Whether or not that happens is a question many are asking… For Iran’s part, it’s playing the strikes down, saying they caused “limited damage”. In a statement, Iran’s foreign ministry says it’s “entitled and obligated” to defend itself but says it “recognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security”. 

Stars weigh into the US election

It’s 9 days until the US votes for a new president, and Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have turned to star power to get their message through to undecided voters in the crucial swing states. Former President Donald Trump spent 3 hours on The Joe Rogan Experience, the #1 rating podcast on Spotify - and apologised to supporters at a Michigan rally after turning up 3 hours late as a result. And Vice President Kamala Harris received Beyoncé’s endorsement at a Houston rally focused on abortion rights - a key plank of Harris’s campaign - with Michelle Obama chipping in at a Michigan rally. Both Harris and Trump are expected to spend all their time in the swing states that will decide the campaign in the coming days - any state that isn’t in play is largely being ignored (maybe to the relief of local residents…). 

3G ceases to be

As you were sleeping, Australia’s 3G network had its last hurrah. Telstra and Optus shut down their 3G networks at midnight to focus on 4G and 5G services. If you bought your device before 2019 and it’s not working today, that might be why - but several devices still revert to 3G when they make emergency calls, so it’s worth checking regardless. It’s not just phones - some medical devices also use 3G services, and you’ll need to contact your provider to get those replaced. The Council of the Ageing says the shutdown will largely affect older Australians as they’re more likely to be using medical devices and older phones. For everyone else, we’ll always have the memories of trying to find the mythical 4 bars of coverage while out and about…

Want to know more about this? There’s a Squiz Shortcut on it, don’t you know… 

No Constellation prize

Our Aussie netballers have had a shock loss to our Kiwi rivals in the Constellation Cup - the first time we’ve lost the annual Trans-Tasman comp on home soil. It’s only the third time in the Cup’s history the Silver Ferns have beaten the Diamonds in the 4-test series, which they clinched in Game 3 last night in Perth with a 61-43 win. After losing the first 2 Tests in New Zealand, the Diamonds were hoping to bounce back at home, but they fell behind after a competitive first half and couldn’t recover. It’s a come-down after our win over the English Roses in September in the England Series, but Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich says they’ll have their shine back for Game 4 on Wednesday in Melbourne. “I think we are a bit mentally fatigued at the moment. There's things within the program I think we can freshen up”, she said.

All’s Well-man that ends well-man… 

Researchers in Norway reckon they’ve identified the real-life subject of a tale written more than 800 years ago. One line in a famous Norse story called the Sverris saga mentions a clan that attempted to poison the drinking water of a rival clan in 1197 by throwing a man down the well of the local castle and then covering his remains with stones to spoil the supply. That man came to be known as Well-man, and his fate is an early example of biological warfare. In 1938, a skeleton was found in the well, but only now is the science good enough to tell us if those remains belong to Well-man. According to study author Dr Martin Ellegaard, they do… They used DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating to show that the dates Well-man lived match up with the historical record. Nothing like solving an 800yo mystery…

Apropos of Nothing

Such worthy competitors as Batt Damon, Bats So Raven and Sir Flaps-a-Lot are going wing-to-wing in this year’s Bat Beauty Contest, raising awareness of the conservation challenges facing the creatures. You can vote for the winners yourself over on Instagram…

The 115yo woman who was the oldest person in the US died last week. Elizabeth Francis was the 21st-oldest American ever and credited staying away from alcohol and smoking as the key to her longevity - that’s enjoying living… 

A London dairy has been scammed out of 22 metric tons of cheese worth nearly $600,000. A con artist posed as a wholesale distributor to swindle Neal’s Yard Dairy out of the aged cheddars. They’ve told cheesemongers to brie vigilant in case the thieves strike again…

Squiz the Day

7.00am (AEDT) - Motorsport: F1, Mexican Grand Prix - Mexico, and watch on Kayo

8.30am (AEDT) - The second public hearing of a Senate inquiry into nuclear power generation in Australia is being held - Canberra 

8.45am (ACST) - NT Treasurer Tim McManus will deliver a keynote speech on the Territory’s economic outlook - Darwin

10.15am (AEDT) - A 15-day Federal Court hearing will begin against Santos over alleged 'misleading' net zero claims relating to “clean gas” and “blue hydrogen” - Sydney 

6.00pm (AEDT) - Climate advocate Sandrine Dixson-Decleve will deliver the Centre for Public Development Lecture - Melbourne

Telstra and Optus 3G Shutdown 

NSW Teachers strike

Trans-Tasman Voluntary Assisted Dying Conference - Brisbane

Company AGM - ASX 

Day of the Liberation of Ukraine

International Animation Day

Birthdays for Caitlyn Jenner (1949), Bill Gates (1955), Julia Roberts (1967), Joaquin Phoenix (1974), and Frank Ocean (1987)

Anniversary of:

  • the release of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)

  • Italian fascists conducting the March on Rome, leading to the assumption of power by Benito Mussolini (1922)

  • Elvis’s groundbreaking contribution to getting American teens vaccinated for polio (1956)

Tuesday
4.10am (AEDT) - ESPN International Women's Soccer Friendly: Matildas v Germany - Germany, and watch on Paramount+