Thursday, 21 August - Can't fight the moonlight

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 21 August. In your Squiz Today…

• A diplomatic stoush with Israel deepens

• Bruce Lehrmann’s appeal hearing begins

• And a new moon has been discovered… 🌕

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said wildlife volunteer Richard Nicholas after rescuing a koala - who has since been named Little Watego - after the silly billy went for a swim near Byron Bay. The soggy marsupial is expected to make a full recovery, but it’s proof that not all Aussies are beach-ready…

Trading barbs with Israel

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has come to PM Anthony Albanese’s defence after criticism from Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader is not happy with the Albanese Government’s move to recognise Palestinian statehood, and he made it personal on Tuesday night by posting on X that “history will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews”. Albanese dismissed the diss, but Burke hit back yesterday, saying “strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry”.

Yikes… 

And keep in mind that Australia has historically had close ties with Israel… But its ongoing military action in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis have prompted international condemnation, including from our government. That led to the announcement that we’ll recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly next month. We’re joining the UK, France, Canada in that, and their leaders have also copped strong criticism from Netanyahu. On top of that, right-wing Israeli politician Simcha Rothman has been banned from visiting Oz for a speaking tour, with our Home Affairs Department saying there was a risk he’d “promote his controversial views and ideologies”. That saw the Netanyahu Government respond by revoking the visas of our representatives to the Palestinian Authority.

So, where to now?

Alex Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has called for both governments to cool it. He pushed back on Netanyahu’s comments, and said he’s “expressed concerns for nearly 2 years now about some of the [Albanese] government’s rhetoric and policies and handling of the antisemitism crisis ... but we have never felt abandoned”. Whether or not he will be heard is another thing… As for the latest in Gaza, Netanyahu’s plan to seize control of Gaza City is still in place, with reports saying Israel has called up 60,000 military reservists ahead of a ground offensive. World leaders, including Albanese, have pushed back on the move - and the Albanese Government is holding firm on recognising a Palestinian state next month. So things could stay frosty for a while yet…

Getting energy savvy

Season 3 of Origin’s So Watt? podcast is packed with easy hacks to make your home run smoother (and cheaper). Over 10 episodes, energy experts go room by room - yes, even the bathroom! - sharing tips like ceiling fan tricks and how to spot energy-sucking appliances to help you save on your energy bills. It’s all the smart stuff you didn’t know you needed. Start listening here… or check it out on your favourite podcast app.

Squiz the Rest

Some challenging changes to childcare

After Victorian Police charged former Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown with more than 70 charges of child abuse back in July, the Victorian Government quickly commissioned a review into its childcare system - and that review was made public yesterday. Here’s the full report, but a key finding was that many centres had put profits and reputational concerns over safety. To fix that, it’s made 22 recommendations - 2 of the big ones include setting up a new childcare regulator in the state and making working with children checks harder to get and hold on to. But it’s not just a Victorian problem - of the 22 recommendations in the review, 11 are for the Feds to take on. The state’s Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn says she’ll be raising those at a national meeting of Education Ministers on Friday. 

*Need help?

Finding the fertility fault

Monash IVF says that human error was a major factor in 2 separate embryo mix-ups that eventually led to the resignation of its CEO. To back that up a bit… Monash revealed in April that a patient in Brisbane had been implanted with the wrong embryo in 2023, eventually giving birth to a child with no genetic link to them. In June, Monash said a second patient in a same sex relationship had received her own embryo, instead of her partner’s, as intended. The company launched an independent review, but it’s going to keep the results mostly to itself - it says the review “will not be released publicly to protect the privacy of the affected patients”. That’s disappointing, says Melbourne Uni IVF expert Dr Sarah Lensen - she reckons “transparency would go a long way”. 

Bruce Lehrmann returns to court

The former political staffer is appealing his failed defamation claim against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson - you might remember that was over a 2021 interview with Brittany Higgins where she alleged that she had been raped at Parliament House in 2019. Lehrmann sued, and fast forward to last year, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found "on the balance of probabilities” that Lehrmann did rape Higgins, and ipso facto, he hadn’t been defamed. He’s contesting that decision in a 3-day trial in the Federal Court, which started yesterday. His was not the only defamation lawsuit to come out of this case - the staffers’ boss at the time Linda Reynolds sued Higgins last year over some of her social media posts. A judgment in that case is due next Wednesday, 27 August.

*Need help?

A homophobic slur lands a star in hot water

We’re talking about Aussie Rules star Izak Rankine, who is waiting to hear how long he’ll be banned after allegedly directing an offensive remark at an opponent last weekend. Rankine is one of the best players for the Adelaide Crows, who are currently sitting top of the table after spending years out of the finals race. But during a game against Collingwood last Saturday, he made a homophobic comment to an opponent that could lead to a 5-game ban - which would cost him, and maybe his team - a chance at a flag. That’s made this particular case a big story in the AFL world - especially after a recent run of suspensions over homophobic comments. Adelaide is currently arguing its case and hoping for a 3-game ban so he/they could still play the finals, and the investigation has been running all week. Watch this space… 

Someone call Stephenie Meyer…

…because there’s a new moon on the block. The super-powerful Webb Space Telescope has spotted a sneaky lunar object circling Uranus, and we’ll try to get through this without making the obvious jokes... The reason this particular moon has escaped detection for so long is that it’s tiny (you know, as far as moons go) at only 10km wide. As anyone super-familiar with Uranus knows, the planet has 28 moons, which are all named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope. This new 29th moon doesn’t have a name yet, but you can probably expect it to follow that trend - and it might not be the last. Planetary scientist Matthew Tiscareno says there could be more moons to be discovered, so Uranus may have many more secrets to uncover. Snigger…

Apropos of Nothing

The Food and Drug Authority in the US has urgently warned Americans not to buy a brand of frozen shrimp sold in Walmart after it was potentially contaminated with the radioactive isotope Cesium-137. Whatever you do, don’t throw those on the barbie… 

The Women’s Rugby World Cup starts in England this weekend, and it’s going to be a big one - the Grand Final at Twickenham on 28 September is already a sellout, with 82,000 people picking up a ticket well in advance. Let’s hope they’re watching a green and gold victory… 

The Australian Dental Association reckons the average price for a lost tooth being handed out by the Tooth Fairy to Aussie kids these days is $6.20 - and at the top end, some kids are getting $50 bucks a tooth - those are some costly canines…

Squiz the Day

9.25am (AEST) - Women’s Cricket: Australia A v India A (until 24 August) - Brisbane, watch on Kayo

10.00am (AEST) - Tennis: US Open mixed doubles kicks off in fan week, ahead of the singles tournament beginning next week - New York, watch on Stan Sport

5.30pm (AWST) - Hundreds of ground workers at Perth Airport will go on strike over pay conditions - Perth  

7.30pm (AEST) - AFL: The Last round of the AFL home-and-away season begins with Essendon v Carlton at Marvel Stadium - Melbourne, watch on Kayo

ABS data release - Labour Force, Australia, July 2025; Year of Arrival Standard, 2025; Australian Citizenship Standard, 2025 

Domain and Star Entertainment Group announce their FY2025 results

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

International Entrepreneurs’ Day

Daffodil Day, helping to raise funds for cancer research

Melbourne's Now or Never Festival begins (until 31 August) - Melbourne

Mundi Mundi Bash begins (on until 23 August) - Broken Hill 

Birthdays for sprinting champ Usain Bolt (1986) and singer Kacey Musgraves (1988)

Anniversary of:

• the marriage of Peter the Great and Catherine II (1745)

• the founding of Hobart (1842)

• the marriage of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (1929)

• the release of Walt Disney’s Bambi (1942)

• the death of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1940)