Monday, 9 February - You'll be back

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

• The Coalition has reformed after a 17-day breakup

• Israeli President Isaac Herzog begins his Oz visit, with protests planned around the country

• And it’s Super Bowl day in the US… 🏈

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Squiz Sayings

Said Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson on The Graham Norton Show in October, when he was on the same couch as Swift. Cut to 2026, and Gleeson stars in her new video for Opalite, along with everyone who was on the show that day. The wildest dreams can come true… 

Together again

The Squiz

As the pop star/astronaut Katy Perry once sang, we fight, we break up, we kiss, we make up… The Coalition are back together after 17 days apart. It’s the second breakup/makeup since last year’s federal election, but Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud say they’ve fixed up their differences and they trust each other to move forward. As part of the reunion, they’ve shortened the frontbench suspensions for 3 Nats senators, and agreed on a bit more clarity around shadow cabinet solidarity…

Explain that cabinet solidarity bit…

It’s the expectation that all Coalition frontbenchers (aka the shadow cabinet) will vote the same way on legislation after the party agrees its position in advance. The trouble began when 3 Nationals senators - Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDonald and Ross Cadell - resigned their frontbench roles after breaking with their Coalition partners on a vote on hate speech legislation. Those resignations - which they say Ley demanded - led to the rest of their Nats colleagues following suit, before the Coalition broke up entirely on 22 January. Ley’s initial offer to the Nats to repair fences was a 6-month frontbench absence for the 3 senators - that’s since been revised down to one, and they’ll be back on 1 March. The leaders also signed an agreement formalising shadow cabinet solidarity within the Coalition, to avoid this happening again.

So what happens next?

Parliament’s in session today, so we’ll see if this reconciliation sticks and if the 2 parties can hold it together. And just because they’ve reformed, doesn’t mean we’re done with the leadership shenanigans at the top… Liberal Coalition leader Sussan Ley’s position (it’s hard to keep track, even for us) is still under pressure. If anyone does come for Ley’s job, it’s likely to be Angus Taylor, after his main competition, Western Oz MP Andrew Hastie, ruled himself out last week. Reports say Taylor’s colleagues think he has the numbers, and his pace may be quickened by this morning’s Newspoll, which has Ley as the most unpopular major party leader in 23 years, the Coalition’s vote at 18% and One Nation’s vote at 27% - yikes…

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Squiz the Rest

A divisive visit

Thousands of Australians are expected to take to the streets today to protest this week’s visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog. PM Anthony Albanese says the government invited Herzog at the request of Jewish leaders, and “in the context of the devastating antisemitic terrorist attack that occurred at Bondi” in December. Albanese said while people had a right to demonstrate, he urged restraint out of respect for the victims of that attack. But protesters say he shouldn’t have been invited due to his role in the war in Gaza - with some even calling for his arrest while he’s here. It’ll make for a tense week, and NSW Police have been given special powers to prevent things from getting out of hand. In turn, the Palestine Action Group (which is behind the main protest…) says the extra policing is “outrageous” - they’re challenging those powers in the NSW Supreme Court this morning.

The Christchurch terrorist appeals

Brenton Tarrant, the Australian man who murdered 51 people in the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019, is back in court this week to appeal his verdict and walk back his guilty pleas. The hearing, which is taking place in Wellington, is set to run for 5 days and will be under heavy suppression orders - but we do know that the terrorist will appear via video link. A bit of background - he waived his right to speak during his sentencing hearing in August 2020, when he became the first person in New Zealand’s history to be handed a life sentence with no chance of parole. This week, he’s expected to tell the court that he wasn’t in a rational state to plead, due to “torturous” and “inhumane” prison conditions - and experts say the court will be “very careful” he doesn’t use the opportunity to platform his extremist views.

A collection of elections in Asia

It’s a banner day for ruling conservative parties in Asia, with 2 projected victories in 2 separate elections… First, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democrat Party are set for a big win in the snap election Takaichi called just 4 months after becoming prime minister. Takaichi said she wanted a clear public mandate, and according to exit polls, she’s got one, even with snowy conditions making it harder to vote. Over in Thailand, current conservative PM Anutin Charnvirakul has also claimed victory - bucking opinion polls that said he was headed for a loss. It’s been a tumultuous time in Thailand - there’s been an ongoing military conflict with Cambodia and 3 PMs in 3 years - so it’s a rare bit of continuity for the country. And the democracy rollercoaster doesn’t stop here - Bangladesh is coming up on Thursday - you can read more about that here. 

(To the tune of AC/DC) C-G-T, oi, oi, oi

The Capital Gains Tax could be a dynamite talking point this week, following reports that the Albanese Government is looking at ending a long-standing discount to try and fix up Australia’s economic issues. After recent rises in inflation/interest rates, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is under pressure to find some fixes - especially after admitting yesterday that government spending had been a factor in the inflation rise. And ending/reducing the 50% discount on CGT, which is a tax you pay on profits from the sale of investments (think properties or shares), could be one of those fixes. The Howard Government brought in that discount in 1999, and then-Treasurer Peter Costello disagrees with the idea of axing it - he says it’s a “cover for out of control spending”. You may well watch the issue explode…

The Super Bowl kicks off…

…with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks going head-to-head in the 60th edition of the NFL grand final. The last time these 2 teams faced off in the ‘big game’ was 2015, which was momentous… It gave us one of the best games in the sport’s history (the Pats won) and the left shark meme from Katy Perry’s halftime show. Something for everyone… This year, the Seahawks (and their Aussie punter Michael Dickson) are going in as favourites, and it’s Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny who will be handling music duties. And of course, the Super Bowl is also the biggest advertising day of the year - highlights include this spot for AI company Anthropic, this slapstick Benson Boone/Ben Stiller collab, and another award-worthy performance from Emma Stone. It all begins at 10:30 AEDT - you can watch on Channel 7 or ESPN.

Apropos of Nothing - Trends edition

US skier Lindsey Vonn has been airlifted to hospital after her comeback to the Winter Olympics - which she was attempting 9 days after rupturing her ACL - ended with a huge crash in the women’s downhill. It’s cast a pall over the day’s events, but reports say she’s stable…

On a brighter note, the opening ceremony of this year’s Games was spectacular, although performer Mariah Carey has copped some stick for allegedly lip-syncing, which organisers are refusing to deny happened. So the theory isn’t just a sweet, sweet fantasy, baby… 

And the national team outfits at the opening ceremony are always worth a gander - here’s the Aussie version, notable for its inner lining with the names of every Oz Winter Olympian sewn in. For a wider recap, we recommend this Fashion Critical ranking of the best lewks…

Squiz the Day

10:00am (AEDT): A hearing in the NSW Supreme Court challenging police powers brought in by the NSW government, in advance of a planned rally at 5:30pm protesting the visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Herzog will begin his tour of Australia today and protests are expected in cities across the country

10.30am (AEDT) - NFL: Super Bowl LX kicks off between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks (with Bad Bunny performing the halftime show) - Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, watch on Channel 7, 7plus and ESPN on Disney+ 

Day one of Senate Estimates - Environment and communication, finance and public administration, legal and constitutional affairs, rural and regional affairs and transport, ends February 12 

National Apprenticeship Week (ends 15 February) 

International Epilepsy Day

ABS data release: Monthly household spending indicator, December 2025

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

Anniversary of: 

• Stanley Bruce being sworn in as the 8th Prime Minister of Australia (1923) 

• 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 Anglican Church of Australia ordaining women as deacons for the first time, a precursor to the ordination of female priests (1986)

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