Tuesday, 26 November - Hello from the other side

November 26, 2024

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 26 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • A legal battle in Parliament House

  • Another legal win ahead for Trump

  • And sitting exams in the age of AI…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"I picked out the best-looking sheila at the university and, of course, me being me, she couldn't help herself…”

Said federal MP Bob Katter, who thanked his wife and family yesterday as he marked 50 consecutive years as a politician. As they say in the classics, you’d get less for murder…

A legal battle in Parliament House…

The Squiz

Deputy PM Richard Marles’ chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky says she’s suing him, PM Anthony Albanese’s chief of staff Tim Gartrell and the Commonwealth for “adverse actions” taken against her after she raised allegations of workplace bullying earlier this year. A spokesperson for Marles has previously said several of Tarnawsky’s “recollections are contested” - but she says she doesn’t believe any investigation into them has been launched, and she’s been left in limbo. “It has now been more than 200 days since I raised my concerns… I was then exiled as a result,” she says.

Back it up a bit…

Last month, Tarnawsky - the Albanese Government’s most senior female chief of staff - went public with bullying claims against her colleagues. We don’t know the specifics, but the legal action Tarnawsky’s taking is in response to what happened after she raised them with Marles… She says she was ousted from her job by being moved into a temporary role training other chiefs of staff elsewhere in the Albanese Government. She still holds her role in Marles’ office but is on indefinite leave. Tarnawsky’s lawyer Michael Bradley said she’d given the government months to “step up and be accountable” but has now lost patience. Marles is yet to comment on yesterday’s development.

Sounds like a mess…

And it’s not the only one the Albanese Government’s trying to mop up… As we’ve chatted about before, they’re rushing to clear a backlog of agenda items in the final sitting week for the year. Yesterday, Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie described it as “an absolute mess up in the Senate” and said the focus should be on getting the government’s housing bills over the line. (Note: the Greens got on board with the Help to Buy scheme yesterday, so at least one of the bills is looking likely…) Meanwhile, Independent Senator David Pocock is frustrated over delays to gambling ad reforms while others have accused the government of trying to “ram” its social media age restrictions through. Well, it is the time of year when we can all feel a little frazzled…

Getting up to speed about consent

Consent is key to healthy, respectful sexual experiences and relationships, and that’s why it's so important for us as a community - particularly our young people - to talk more about it. We get it… The conversations might feel awkward or uncomfortable at the start, but adults play a big part in helping the young people in our lives to understand. It's all about communication - and the more we know, the more we can share with others. If you want some tips on how to talk about consent, this is a good place to get started with conversation guides and other resources.

Squiz the Rest

Eyeing off a ceasefire deal

US officials say a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah is “very close” to being locked in, despite heavy fighting between the 2 stretching on. Reports say the Israeli cabinet will vote on the deal later today after PM Benjamin Netanyahu approved the plan ‘in principle’. The US-led ceasefire talks have been ongoing since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah - linked to the war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza - flared up in mid-September. Mediators are waiting on Israel’s final approval, but a spokesperson for Netanyahu says although they’re “moving in this direction”, “there are still some issues to address”. The truce talks, to be monitored by 5 countries, come as the death toll in Lebanon since September passed 3,000 people…

Coming up Trumps

The US Justice Department has announced it will drop the federal criminal cases against incoming president Donald Trump relating to election subversion and mishandling of classified documents. Special counsel Jack Smith - who Trump said he’d fire as soon as he took office - filed the motions early today. Of the election subversion case, Smith said it wasn’t anything to do with the strength or merit of the case but rather “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated”. Meanwhile, health experts have raised the alarm over Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health, Robert F Kennedy Jr. Experts have warned the former environmental lawyer might “seek to interfere with FDA decisions on vaccine approvals.” He’s also promising measures like eliminating coloured dyes in cereals and fluoride in water. And while some of his positions on fixing childhood nutrition have attracted expert support, his views on vaccines has them worried... 

Grieving families ask for help

The families of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of bringing their daughters’ bodies home after the 19yos died in Thai hospitals from suspected methanol poisoning last Friday. They were among 6 people who became fatally ill after a night out in Laos where it’s thought they consumed drinks with the dangerous compound. The families set a target of $250,000, some of which will go towards efforts to educate travellers on the potential dangers. Donors came out in force to support them - the GoFundMe reached its goal just hours after it was set up. And things might be already changing - there are reports tourists in the area are avoiding drinks containing local vodka, and sticking to bottled or canned beer instead.

Want to know more about methanol poisoning around the world? We’ve got a Shortcut out at midday today. Sign up here…

Mary Fowler takes a break

The Tillies will be without the superstar 21yo for their upcoming friendlies, including against Brazil on Thursday in Brisbane - so she can focus on her mental and physical health. Fowler said she doesn’t take her Tilly time for granted but needs a break after a hectic few months. She’ll join World Cup penalty-taker extraordinaire Cortnee Vine on the sidelines, who has taken indefinite leave for mental health reasons. A now-depleted Matildas squad is set to take on Brazil twice in Queensland, followed by 2 games against Chinese Taipei in Victoria. And speaking of Aussie sports folklore, Emma McKeon (who has won more Olympic gold medals than any Aussie in history with 6…) has announced her retirement at 30yo. She says it’s time to see what else life has in store. Whatever it is, she’ll probably excel at that too…

Talkin’ bout an exam revolution

As schools and universities continue to battle the use of generative AI and chatbots when testing students, an Aussie uni is changing the way they run final exams - by turning them into conversations. It’s called the viva voce system, and the science department at the University of South Australia started it when issues cropped up during the pandemic. They now use a 20-minute convo instead of a written exam, and they haven’t had a single integrity breach since. Critics say oral exams could be tougher for students with English as a second language and that, unlike written exams, you can’t test hundreds of people at once. But Dr Chris Della Vedova - whose team came up with the idea - says it might be the only way to go because the students might not be getting smarter, but AI definitely is…

Apropos of Nothing

A group of 80 people involved in rebuilding the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after it was damaged by a 2019 fire have formed a choir. They’ll perform at the reopening celebrations of the famous Our Lady, which is surely something to sing about…

Music legend Cher has revealed in her new memoir that she didn’t know her real name until she was 33yo. The singer always thought Cher was short for Cherilyn, but when she applied to change her name in 1979, she found out it was actually Cheryl. 

British singer/songwriter Adele has wound up her long-running Las Vegas residency, ending a stint that began in 2022. She took the gig so her young son could have a mum who wasn’t on the road all the time, but she says it’s time to move on. Now Las Vegas needs to find someone like Adele…

Squiz the Day

6.00am (AEDT) - The Mendendez brothers are set to appear in court for the first time in 28 years. It’s a procedural hearing, but a public lottery was offered for the 16 seats in the courtroom, such is the intense interest in the case - Los Angeles

9.00am (AEDT) - The Australian Cyber Conference begins (until 28 November) - Melbourne

9.30am (AEDT) - Independent parliamentarians including Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, along with Andrew Wilkie and Dr Helen Haines, will announce a new Whistleblowers Protection Authority Bill they plan to introduce to parliament next year - Canberra

12.30pm (AEDT) - Michael Sukkar MP and Max Chandler-Mather MP will address the National Press Club for the 'Housing Policy Debate' - Canberra

6.00pm (AEDT) - Czech President Petr Pavel will deliver the 2024 Lowy Lecture - Sydney

The On the Steps series of outdoor concerts returns to the Sydney Opera House

ABS data release - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health Survey, 2022-23

World Sustainable Transport Day

🍰 International Cake Day (our kind of day)

Anniversary of:

  • English archaeologist Howard Carter opening Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt (1922)

  • the birthday of Tina Turner (1939)

  • the premiere of Casablanca (1942)