Thursday, 27 November - Hello darkness my old friend

November 27, 2025

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 27 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • Inflation is on the rise again

  • Teenagers mount a High Court challenge to the incoming social media ban for under-16yos

  • And get ready to revisit the 80s - Season 5 of Stranger Things is finally here…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"Two mirrorballs now call Australia Zoo home"

Said Bindi Irwin after her brother Robert Irwin won Dancing With the Stars US yesterday. Irwin finished in joint-second place with the judges, but he won the record-breaking public vote to shimmy over the line. He and Bindi are the show’s first-ever sibling winners - what a family…

Inflation’s on the rise again

The Squiz

The annual rate rose from 3.6% to 3.8% yesterday - the highest it’s been since June last year. That's the headline number, but the trimmed mean (the one that cuts out temporary or outlier data) also went up from 3.2% to 3.3%. The nation's number crunchers say housing-related expenses were a major contributor to the rise (via energy prices, building costs and rent), and the overall jump has most economists predicting that the chance of an interest rate cut at the Reserve Bank's next meeting in December is as dead as a doornail… 

And how did that land?

Given both numbers are now outside the RBA’s target range to cut rates, it’s put Treasurer Jim Chalmers under a bit of pressure… His opposite number Ted O’Brien called it “Jimflation” and said it was a result of the Albanese Government’s high levels of spending. But Chalmers fired back, saying he “won’t be taking lectures” from the Coalition and pointing out that inflation was still at a much lower level than it was when Labor first came to power in 2022. Chalmers isn’t just under pressure over inflation, though - he’s also being asked questions about the scale of proposed cuts to public service jobs. Chalmers said that there wouldn’t be “big job cuts”, but he’d asked government departments to “reprioritise their spending”. 

What else is happening in Canberra?

Well, it’s the final sitting week so things tend to get a bit chaotic - and that theory held up yesterday with a power outage hitting Parliament House. The Coalition jumped on that quickly - blaming it on Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who they’ve been going at all week over his energy policies and Presidential role in next year’s COP31 climate summit. Aside from that, the government’s new environmental protection legislation still doesn’t seem to have a backer - it was set to be voted on in the Senate yesterday, and it needs either the Green or the Coalition to get on board to get it passed before parliament winds up this week. But neither party is keen so far, and that deadline is coming up quickly…

For the person who's done with doom-scrolling

Some of the best gifts teach you something new and get you off your phone. Cardigang's DIY kits have everything you need to make jumpers and scarves (yes, even if you've never touched yarn before). Forget panic-buying another candle and consider the gift of a new hobby. It’s the ultimate anti-doom-scrolling device that comes with bragging rights. Take a peek at Cardigang's feel-good kits.

Squiz the Rest

A deadly fire in Hong Kong…

…has engulfed multiple high-rise apartment buildings in the city’s Tai Po district, killing at least 36 people, and leaving dozens more trapped. Seven out of 8 of the towers are still burning, and with around 280 people missing, firefighters are working frantically to save residents from the higher floors. The fire began at around 3pm yesterday and tore through scaffolding surrounding the 31-storey buildings - reports say it's the city's deadliest in 3 decades. From the 2,000 apartments in the complex, 15 people were injured, with 2 hospitalised in serious conditions, and around 700 people were evacuated. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all out effort” to put out the inferno and minimise casualties. He also sent his condolences to those who had lost loved ones, including a firefighter who died on duty.  

Closing in on a peace deal

Ukrainian officials say a “common understanding” has been reached with the US as talks inch forward on a deal with Russia to end the war. If you've been following along, you'll know that's an about turn from where we started the week: with US President Donald Trump threatening to cut support for Ukraine if it didn't sign up to the ceasefire with Russia by tomorrow… US and Ukrainian negotiators have been around the clock (with Kyiv pushing for more favourable terms on their end…), and yesterday Trump said the original plan "has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides". Russia's yet to be briefed - so that's due to happen next - before a possible meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that’s on the cards for tomorrow.

It’s happened again…

Things have gone from bad to worse for executives at Optus with another major outage yesterday, this time affecting about 14,500 customers in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, southeast of Melbourne… As with the deadly outage in September, it left customers unable to make calls for about 2 hours yesterday - although it's not believed any triple-0 calls were impacted. Reports say customers could still contact emergency services thanks to overlapping coverage from other networks in the area… Also different this time: the telco says the outage was caused by vandals cutting cables at an infrastructure site as they tried to steal copper wiring. Optus has apologised, but it's not good timing, given the company is at the centre of a Senate inquiry into the September outage…

Teens take action 

With just over a week before the social media ban for kids under 16yo kicks in, a couple of plucky teenagers, along with the advocacy group Digital Freedom Project, are challenging the new laws in the High Court. Noah Jones and Macy Neyland are both 15yo, and they’re arguing that the laws are “grossly excessive” and impinge on the “constitutional right of freedom of political communication”. Noah believes the government should invest in programs “to help kids be safe on social media” rather than imposing a “blanket ban”, and Macy equates the laws with George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, which she says “scares me”. But Communications Minister Anika Wells remains “firm” on the ban going ahead on 10 December - and with the EU passing a similar resolution overnight, it’s catching on…
*If you’d like to know more about the social media ban for under 16yos, we’re digging into it in a 3-part Shortcut series. Keep an eye out for Part 1 around midday…

What doesn’t kill you makes you stranger

One of the most anticipated TV shows of the year hits Netflix today, but it’s been a very, very long time between drinks… The fifth and final season of Stranger Things, the 80s sci-fi/fantasy throwback that's been one of the streamer's biggest hits, drops its first 4 eps at midday AEDT, another 3 on Christmas Day and the series finale on New Year's Eve. But if you can't remember what's happening with Eleven, Mike, and the Upside Down, you're not alone - it's been over 3 years since Season 4 premiered. Showrunners the Duffer Brothers have come in for some stick over the long production timeline but they’re not fussed, saying they “like the buildup”. If you’re one of those people racking your brains on where we left off, this recap of Season 4 might help - just be wary of spoilers…

Apropos of Nothing - Charitable edition

It’s Thanksgiving week in the US, and rather than chowing down on some turkey, some families are choosing to adopt one instead. But they don’t have a turkey running around their house (sadly) - they make a donation to a sanctuary instead. 

After the first Ashes Test ended in 2 days (out of a possible 5), Perth Stadium had a lot of leftover food - so the stadium has donated it all to food rescue charities in Western Oz. Almost as charitable as some of those shot selections from the English players… 

Not so palatable as an idea, but very much welcomed by scientists, are donations of poo. You read that right. It's not just blood, organs and tissue that save lives - by donating poo, you are giving the "organ" of gut microbiome, which is used in poo transplants. True…

Squiz the Day

7.00am (AEST) - Golf: The BMW Australian PGA Championship begins at the Royal Queensland Golf Course with Adam Scott playing in his first Aussie tournament since 2023 - Brisbane, watch on 9Now

9.30am (AEDT) - Findings will be handed down in the inquest into the deaths of Lilie James and her former partner, Paul Thijssen, who murdered Lilie before committing suicide in October 2023 - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - The official prime ministerial portrait of former PM Malcolm Turnbull will be unveiled at Parliament House - Canberra 

12.15pm (AEDT) - Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will deliver Victoria's State of the State address at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, hosted by CEDA - Melbourne

1.00pm (AEDT) - The Legislative Council Select Committee will examine the Tasmanian Planning Commission's report into the proposed Macquarie Point stadium at Tasmania's Parliament House - Hobart

6.00pm (AEDT) - The 70th Walkley Awards Gala Dinner will be held at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre to celebrate excellence in journalism - Sydney

Police are continuing with new search efforts to find the remains of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy in Enfield State Park, around 30kms south of Ballarat

Pope Leo XIV will travel to Turkey for 3 days for his first international trip since becoming the pontiff 

ABS data releases: Corrective Services, Australia, September Quarter 2025; Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia, September 2025

Christmas Karma comes out in cinemas in Australia - a new adaptation of a Christmas Carol by the writer/director of Bend it Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha

A birthday for TV presenter Bill Nye the Science Guy (1955) and former US ambassador to Oz Caroline Kennedy (1957)

Anniversary of:

  • Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel signing his final will, thus establishing the Nobel Prize (1895)

  • the birthdays of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee (1940), guitarist Jimi Hendrix (1942), and TV broadcaster Simon Townsend (1945)

  • the premiere of the Disney movie Frozen (2013)

  • the death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes (2014)