Thursday, 2 May - So you're a tough guy

Author

Larissa Huntington
May 02, 2024

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 2 May. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Federal Government commits big money to gendered violence crisis

  • Lehrmann costs decision delayed

  • And how scientists are making white bread healthier…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“The coconuts have taken a toll and the termites are having a good feed."

Said tour guide Brad Madgwick about the sad state of Double Island, just off the coast of Cairns. The Queensland Government is now trying to strip the lease from Hong Kong billionaire Benny Wu after he let the prized piece of paradise fall into total disrepair…

Big money for a big problem

The Squiz

PM Anthony Albanese has announced nearly $1 billion in funding for a raft of new measures to support people escaping domestic violence and combating online misogyny and access to pornography. It follows yesterday’s snap National Cabinet meeting to discuss the uptick in men’s violence against women - with at least 28 Aussie women killed this year. But even as the government’s new strategy was being delivered, news broke that 2 men had been charged following the ”suspicious” death of 19yo Yolonda Mumbulla in the Sydney suburb of North Bondi.

Where’s that money going?

Recognising the issue as “a national crisis”, the government has allocated $925.2 million over 5 years for the Leaving Violence Program. It will provide up to $5,000 in financial support, along with referral services, risk assessments and safety planning to address the “barriers” to escaping domestic violence. Measures to “tackle extreme online misogyny” were also introduced, including a $6.5 million “age assurance” pilot to prevent children’s “easy access to pornography”. The government will also introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and doxxing (aka the malicious publishing of personal details). It will also run a new phase of the Stop it at the Start prevention campaign in June and bring forward a review of the Online Safety Act. But despite those moves, Albanese says the “heartbreaking reality” is there’s “no overnight solution to violence against women and children”. 

What about monitoring offenders?

Albanese says changes to bail laws will be led by states and territories to implement “best practice” in their jurisdiction, with a focus on high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders to prevent homicides. But things like ankle bracelets and a domestic violence offender registry are still TBD and will be addressed at other meetings by state and territory police ministers and attorney generals - something that Albanese denies is “kicking it down the road”. Meanwhile, the family of 28yo Molly Ticehurst - who was allegedly murdered by her former partner - are pushing for 'Molly's Law' to monitor alleged offenders. They say, “there has to be something put in place that says if you receive bail today, we will know where you are the minute you walk out”. NSW’s Acting Premier Prue Car says “all options” are on the table.

Media literacy has never been so important

Here at The Squiz we’re pretty focussed on the importance of media literacy and teaching young kids to be critical consumers of media. It’s why we created Newshounds, our media literacy program for primary students. With recent events such as the attack at Bondi and the Wakeley church stabbing exacerbated by the spread of misinformation and disinformation online, it’s never felt more important to push the conversation further. So, if you want to learn more about what it means to be a critical consumer of news and how we get there, check out this post by Bryce Corbett, the Director of Squiz Kids and co-creator of Newshounds.

Squiz the Rest

Dragging out a decision

A decision by Justice Michael Lee about whether Bruce Lehrmann will have to pay the legal costs of Network Ten over his failed defamation suit has been reserved - aka delayed. It comes after Lee found last month that on the balance of probability, Lehrmann did rape his former colleague Brittany Higgins. Lehrmann says he may appeal that judgement and has until 27 May to do so. Neither party emerged from yesterday’s hearing unscathed… Lee criticised Ten’s lawyer Justin Quill for his comments after the April decision, saying it was misleading for Ten to “go around and effectively [say] it had been vindicated”. And Ten’s “walk away” letter to Lehrmann was also published… No date has been set, but Lee says his consideration of the issues will be "fairly prompt" and indicated “there will be a costs order made in favour” of Ten.

A campus kerfuffle

There have been extraordinary scenes at universities across America, with violent clashes breaking out between student groups protesting over the war in Gaza. In New York, riot police stormed Columbia University and City College of NY, arresting nearly 300 people, and in LA, clashes between protestors at UCLA saw fireworks and sticks hurled. The colleges are among dozens of US campuses overtaken by demonstrators in past weeks. Columbia says it called in police after students “vandalised and blockaded” a key building and ignored warnings to leave. US President Joe Biden says he supports “peaceful protest” but “occupying buildings is wrong”. The students are demanding their unis cut ties with Israeli companies or donors. Here in Oz, it’s been a more subdued scene - with the biggest protest being held on the lawns of Sydney Uni and others springing up in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

You shall not pass

Qantas says it’s fixed a serious data breach that allowed some passengers to access the boarding passes of other flyers. Travellers who logged into the Qantas app yesterday morning captured screenshots showing they were seeing other people's flight info instead of their own. Technology writer Trevor Long says he got about 12 people's details - including their upcoming flight info, points balance and status. Qantas says it "sincerely apologises" for the incident but doesn't believe anyone travelled with "incorrect boarding passes". The airline says the incident was probably caused by a system update rather than a cyber security incident. It's been a tough couple of days for Aussie airlines - with Bonza vowing it will "fight on” (paywall) despite being placed into voluntary administration. 

Up, up and up…

This is no newsflash if you're trying to get into the market, but Aussie house prices have risen for the 15th month in a row. Things are pretty crazy in Perth right now, with an increase of 2% in April - followed by Adelaide (+1.3%), Brisbane (+0.9%), Darwin (0.6%), Sydney (0.4%), Hobart (0.3%) and Canberra (0.2%). Only Melbourne recorded a slight dip (-0.1%). The harbour city is still the most expensive to break into with a median house price of $1.4 million and unit price of $845,000. Darwin will give you more bang for your buck, with the median house costing $579,000 and $364,000 for a unit. If that’s a bit sobering, why not just dream instead… Aussie Home Loans founder John Symons’ Sydney pad is on the market - it’s expected to fetch a sweet $200 million. 

The ultimate chip butty?

If you’re someone who won’t reach for wholemeal bread no matter how much better it is for you, today’s your lucky day… Scientists in Wales are developing a new type of white bread that’s as healthy as its wholemeal cousins by adding small amounts of peas, beans and cereals to the mix. It’s a complex process, so it could take a couple of years before healthier loaves hit the shelves. But once they do, Dr Catherine Howarth says the goal is to make sure white bread lovers can’t tell the difference. Alice Tinker would be impressed… And what goes better with bread and butter than chips? Australia’s best/worst frozen chips have been ranked by food testers at Choice, and Birds Eye’s Golden Crunch Thin and Crispy Chips came out on top. One judge praised their flavour as being “noticeably of baked potato”. That’s reassuring…

Apropos of Nothing

Take it easy on that mate who’s always watching ahead on Netflix and blabbing about the big twists in your fave show. One writer reckons they might actually be doing you a favour by sharing spoilers and sparing you the shock of big sad moments or embarrassing scenes…

Hot on the heels of Tay Tay and Pink, there’s another big name heading down under…. Grammy and Oscar-winning pop star Billie Eilish is kicking off a world tour and will be in Oz in February next year. General tickets go on sale for 12 east coast shows tomorrow, but some fans don’t know how to feel about the prices.

Sometimes you should believe your kids when they complain about “monsters in the wall” as 3yo Saylor Class’ mother Ashley found out the hard way when a hole was cut and 65,000 bees poured out “like a horror movie” from the girl’s room in their North Carolina home.

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEST) - Federal Transport Minister Catherine King to address the Transforming Transport Summit - Melbourne

9.30am (AEST) - Woolworths to announce 3rd quarter sales results 23/24 - online

9.30am (AEST) - Mining group Rio Tinto to hold its annual meeting - Brisbane

5.45pm (AEST - A-listers Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy will walk the red carpet for the premiere of their new movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Sydney

International Harry Potter Day

National Brothers and Sisters Day

World Password Day

Birthdays for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (1972), Lily Allen (1985), Princess Charlotte (2015) 

Anniversary of the deaths of Leonardo da Vinci (1519), J. Edgar Hoover (1972), and Osama bin Laden (2011)

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