Tuesday, 17 February - My saddle's waitin'

February 17, 2026

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 17 February. In your Squiz Today…

  • Coles has been accused in court by the ACCC of misleading customers with fake bargains

  • NSW police are calling for the return of an 85yo kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity

  • And as we press publish, we’ve just learned of the death of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now star Robert Duvall - here’s a link for more information…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Third time lucky.”

Said Aussie tennis star Alex de Minaur after winning the Rotterdam Open by beating Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, one of the biggest wins of his career. It was his third consecutive final at the event, so it’s nice to see him exorcise that particular, uh, demon…

Laying down down the law

The Squiz

Major supermarket Coles and consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will continue slugging it out in federal court today over claims Coles misled consumers. The argument from the ACCC goes that as part of its famous ‘Down, Down’ promotion, many of the products Coles claimed were bargains were nothing of the sort - their prices had been artificially inflated before the discount to make it seem like customers were saving money. Coles says those price rises and subsequent discounts were justified, and it’s over to the federal court to make a call following this 10-day hearing… 

Unpack that a bit more for me… 

Let’s use dog food as an example… In the ACCC’s opening arguments yesterday, it pointed out that between 2022 and 2023, Coles sold a 1.2kg can of Nature’s Gift wet dog food for $4. After raising the price to $6 for 7 days, the price was then reduced to $4.50 - lower than $6, but higher than the $4 it had been before. The ACCC says this was an “illusory” (aka fake) discount. During yesterday’s proceedings, presiding judge Justice Michael O’Bryan queried the ACCC’s take on that - pointing out that customers should expect prices might go up at some stage. That’s a core part of Coles’ argument too - that inflation and supplier costs had risen, leading to the price increase. But the ACCC says it’s unreasonable to expect that customers could factor that in…  

So what happens next?

Coles is expected to continue its opening remarks today - from there, the ACCC reckons its case will take up most of the first week. The stakes for this case are pretty high: if Coles loses, it might be followed by a class action, which could involve payouts to consumers and a financial penalty on top of that. If the ACCC loses, it will hurt its reputation as a regulator and its chances of winning essentially the same case against Woolworths, which is expected to begin in April. So you can bet Woolies will be watching closely… And just to add to a high-pressure month, both Coles and Woolworths have their first-half results coming up soon - Woolworths on 25 February and Coles on 27 February - just around the time this hearing is set to wrap up…

Getting AI right

AI is already shaping how we work, learn and make decisions. It has the potential to improve lives, from transforming healthcare to making cars safer. But right now, the technology is moving faster than the safeguards designed to govern it. New Minderoo Foundation research found that while Australians recognise AI's potential, 63% say the technology is moving too fast. Without clear safeguards, public demand for heavy-handed regulation will grow - the kind that could slow the very progress people want to see. That’s why Minderoo is calling for balanced, enforceable AI rules in Australia - to keep people safe, build public trust and enable innovation. See what Australians think about AI at safeai.org.au 

Squiz the Rest

ISIS fighters’ families are blocked

A group of women and children linked to Islamic State fighters left the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria yesterday to return to Oz - but hours later, they were turned back by the Syrian government. They’re the Australian partners of terror group members (often referred to as ISIS brides…) who were detained after the ISIS caliphate was defeated in 2019. A group was released from the same camp in 2022, and others smuggled themselves out last year - raising concerns about the security threat posed here at home. Earlier this month, the camp's director Hakmiyeh Ibrahim said "my message is not only to Australia but to all countries: take your citizens, take these children and women". But the Albanese Government says it won’t help them return and that “the safety of Australians” is the priority. 

It’s on like Donkey Kong…

…in the race to win the southwestern NSW seat of Farrer, where a by-election is due after former MP/Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s resignation. Yesterday, Nationals leader David Littleproud confirmed they’ll run a candidate - although they’re yet to say who. As we’ve said, under the Coalition deal, the Nats can’t run against a sitting Liberal - but if a seat is vacant (as Farrer will be…), they can have a crack. It’ll be a closely watched race, with the Libs and One Nation also running candidates (the latter hoping to improve on its 2025 result in the seat…). And then there’s independent Michelle Milthorpe, who came closest to an upset over Ley last year and says ​​”​​Farrer’s future cannot be an afterthought to party politics”. We don’t have a polling date yet, although the hot tip is sometime in April/May…

Police call for an 85yo’s return

We’re talking about Chris Baghsarian, who was kidnapped from his northern Sydney home last Friday morning in a case of mistaken identity - with reports saying a figure with links to a crime family was the intended target. Yesterday, footage of Baghsarian being bundled into a car began circulating, along with a distressing video of him filmed by his captors. NSW Police’s Andrew Marks said he was making “a very strange appeal … to those that are responsible, to release Mr Baghsarian somewhere safe”. And speaking of kidnapping cases… In the US, police are analysing a glove found near the home of missing 84yo Nancy Guthrie, as her daughter TV host Savannah made another appeal to whoever took her mum, saying “it is never too late to do the right thing”.

The Aussies are on the cusp….

…of a disappointing exit from the men’s T20 Cricket World Cup after losing to Sri Lanka this morning in Kandy. Despite a great start from openers Mitch Marsh and Travis Head, a batting collapse and a century from Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka meant the home team chased down the target of 181 pretty easily. The loss means the Aussies now have to sweat on Zimbabwe losing their next game, against Ireland at 8:30pm AEDT tonight, to have any chance of making it through to the 'Super Eight' stage of the tournament. Australia won this tournament in 2021 and was considered a near-certainty to make it past the group stage, so Marsh says that the team is "devastated… we're in the lap of the gods now." Fingers crossed… 

Giddy up…

Today marks Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year/Spring Festival, depending on where you are in the world…), and 2026 is all about the year of the fire horse. If you’re not familiar with the cultural holiday, it dates back thousands of years - to China’s Xia or Shang dynasty, experts say - and signifies the beginning of a lunar calendar year. It brings about the world’s largest mass migration - with a record 9.5 billion passenger trips expected to/within China over the holiday this year. Also worth noting: Sydney is home to the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia… As for the year of the fire horse, it signals optimism, opportunity and energy. Chinese zodiac experts say it’s a “very special” year - the last time we saw it was 1966…

Apropos of Nothing - Musical moments edition

A bedding company that wanted to trademark the brand Swift Home has beaten a swift retreat after a challenge from US singer Taylor Swift. In particular, the singer’s team said the proposed logo was a bit too similar to her signature - judge for yourself… 

US singer Role Model has a tradition where he often brings out a celebrity to dance around as ‘Sally’ during his hit song Sally, When the Wine Runs Out. And he may not be able to better himself after bringing out Robert Irwin in Perth - cue the crowd going wild... 

File this under sentences we didn’t imagine we’d write: some Aussie wrestlers for US company All Elite Wrestling have performed the Nutbush and sunk a shoey while touring the country - making sure to hit all our cultural touchstones…

Squiz the Day

From 5.00am (AEDT) - Winter Olympics: Aussie Bree Walker - aka ‘Bobsled Bree’ - is competing in the women's monobob heats 3 and 4 to determine who wins the gold medal (she’s going in as a favourite) - Italy, watch on 9Now

9.00am (AWST) - The man accused of throwing a homemade bomb at an Australia Day protest crowd in Perth is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court where he’ll face the new charge of terrorism and possibly enter a plea (his name remains legally suppressed) - Perth

9.30am (AEDT) - Judgment in a world-first greenwashing case against Santos brought by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) in the Federal Court of Australia - Sydney 

11.30am (AEDT) - The Reserve Bank is set to release minutes of its February rate-setting meeting 

12.30pm (AEST) - Queensland Health and Ambulance Services Minister Tim Nicholls to address the Queensland Media Club on the state government’s vision for health services in 2026 - Brisbane

7.00pm (AEDT) - Basketball: WNBL semi-final series game 2 - Bendigo Spirit and Perth Lynx at Red Energy Arena - Bendigo, watch on 9Now

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival. It marks the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Horse

First day of End Youth Suicide Week (until 23 February)

BHP and Baby Bunting half-year financial results

🇽🇰 Independence day in Kosovo

Global Tourism Resilience Day

Birthdays for basketball legend Michael Jordan (1963), entrepreneur and media personality Paris Hilton (1981), actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1981) and singer Ed Sheeran (1991)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthday of Banjo Patterson (1864)

  • the world's first superhero The Phantom making his first appearance in comics (1936)

  • General Motors announcing it will be retiring the Holden brand (2020)