Tuesday, 29 October - With a little help from my friends

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, 29 October. In your Squiz Today…

• An airline scandal involving the PM takes off 

• A lucky Snowy Mountains escape

• And scouting for our future green and gold stars…

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Squiz Sayings

Said TV chef Jamie Oliver about 22 tonnes of cheddar that was stolen from a London dairy by a con artist last week. The Naked Chef is on the case - he wants to solve the “grate cheese robbery”. It’s not gouda…

Another airline scandal takes off

The Squiz

PM Anthony Albanese is under the hammer to explain his relationship with former Qantas boss Alan Joyce after claims resurfaced on the weekend that he’d requested heaps of free flight upgrades and Chairman’s Lounge access for his son. Extracts from journalist Joe Aston’s new book - fittingly called The Chairman's Lounge - ran across Nine’s publications (paywall) on Saturday, covering how Qantas came to dominate the Aussie commercial aviation sector while snuggling up to our politicians. Albanese says everything’s above board, but Coalition leader Peter Dutton called his direct line to Joyce “a bit strange”.

What’s the big deal?

Well, the claims about Albanese’s benefits with the Flying Kangaroo have reignited allegations of his government favouring the airline, giving his political rivals plenty of ammo… For example, it has resurfaced his government’s decision to block an application from Qatar Airways for more flight slots into Sydney last year which could have driven cheaper international airfares on some major routes. Yesterday, Independent MP Allegra Spender drew that line to Albanese’s relationship with Qantas, saying “his flight upgrades and cosy relations with Alan Joyce create a perception of conflict”. The other thing to mention - it’s not unusual for pollies to receive travel upgrades, but the Coalition says requesting them directly from the boss of Qantas is a problem. Nationals MP/former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce reckons “that's the one that doesn't pass the pub test”. 

So what does Albanese say?

He’s defended himself, saying he declared all the freebies so he hasn’t broken any parliamentary rules. And several of his Labor colleagues have gone in to bat for him, too… Employment Minister Murray Watt says the government hasn’t gone easy on Qantas and that Albanese “hasn’t played favourites”. That hasn’t cooled off the Coalition, though… Its Transport spokesperson Bridget McKenzie has raised the potential for a Senate Inquiry into Albanese’s connection with Qantas because “there are clearly serious questions which only Mr Joyce and the PM can answer”. Add that to the list of headache-inducing issues for the Albanese Government - which is behind in the polls - as the clock runs out on its first term in office...

You look lovely, deer

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Squiz the Rest

A flicker of hope for a ceasefire

Top negotiators have restarted talks about the release of Israeli hostages and a possible ceasefire in Gaza. It’s the first time officials from the US, Qatar and Israel have sat down in 2 months… International observers reckon the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar offers a fresh chance for the region to get some agreement on a brief stop in the fighting. Egypt has proposed an initial 2-day ceasefire to allow 4 Israeli prisoners to be released in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. And while there’s not a lot of confidence this will be solved before the US election next week, the United Nations is continuing to call for an immediate end to the bombardment of northern Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says “the conditions of life” are “untenable” for Palestinians, and food and other aid must be allowed into the area… 

The yen takes a hit - as does Japan’s ruling party

Great news if you’re an Aussie tourist looking for an overseas trip where you won’t get smashed by the US dollar or Euro - but bad news for supporters of Japan’s longtime ruling party… A snap election called by Japan’s new PM Shigeru Ishiba has no clear winner, throwing the world’s fourth-largest economy into uncertainty and sending the yen to its lowest level in 3 months. His centre-right Liberal Democratic Party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 2009 after years of corruption scandals caught up with them. No other party has the numbers to form a government either - including the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party. PM Ishiba - who wasn’t yet sworn in as PM when he called the election earlier in October - says the voters have issued a “severe judgement”. So ATM, who will lead the country is anyone’s guess…

K-K-Katies hits the wall… 

Mosaic Brands, the company behind high-street fashion retailers like Rivers, Katies and Noni B, has entered voluntary administration after a tough stretch of trading. Despite Aussies’ cost of living pressures and their offer of affordable clothing, the brands did it tough during COVID as more and more of us shopped online, and it’s never really bounced back. That’s seen its share price slide from $2.30 in January 2020 to 36 cents when it stopped trading on the Aussie stock exchange in August. Mosaic Brands boss Erica Berchtold is hoping their financial woes can be straightened out, saying the business offers a "clearly defined market proposition for its target customers". The company will keep trading while in administration, but with more than 700 retail stores across the country, it’s nervous times for Mosaic’s 3,000 staff… 

A very lucky escape 

It’s celebrations all round in the Snowy Mountains of NSW after rescuers stumbled across a bushwalker who’d been missing in the area for nearly 2 weeks. Lovisa ‘Kiki’ Sjoberg was found dazed and injured in a remote part of Kosciuszko National Park after suffering a likely copperhead snake bite 4 days before help arrived. Police say the avid photographer was found in “reasonable condition” and friends say she ate dehydrated rations and “lived like an animal” to survive. The 48yo was reported missing 6 days after she headed off on a hike when her rental car hadn’t been returned. One searcher says it was like trying to find a “pinhead in a haystack”, and locals were incredibly relieved she was found… It was a mammoth rescue effort with police horses, the dog unit and trail bikes all out looking for Sjoberg as overnight temps in the area hit a frosty 0Cs. 

Scouting for our future green and gold stars 

Attention budding Paralympians - our sporting bosses are officially on the hunt for our next generation of champions. Over the next few months, the Australian Sports Commission will visit every capital city scouting talent with specially designed strength and speed tests that help work out who might be suited to certain events for the 2032 Brisbane Paralympics. More than a third of this year’s Paris team was recruited in similar talent searches - so officials are encouraging youngsters aged 13yo+ to register their interest online. And while we’re talking Aussie champs - a shout out to our figure skating pair Anastasia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore - they’ve come away with our first-ever World Cup medal… Bravo

Apropos of Nothing

Apparently, Tassie magpies don’t swoop, and no one knows why. The website Magpie Alert tracks magpie activity and recorded 3,271 swoops and 426 injuries around Australia this year, but not one of those is in Tasmania. So, no trending magpie videos for them…

McDonald’s restaurants in the US are bringing back quarter pounders, assuring people they won’t be getting a serve of E.Coli with that. Seventy-five people got sick and one person died in an outbreak that was linked to the onions used across 13 states. But they’re back after a brief absence, without the onions… 

The Women’s Big Bash Cricket League’s 10th season got underway on the weekend, and the opening day gave us the story of Year 9 student Caoimhe Bray hitting the winning runs for the Sydney Sixers to get their season off and running. Not bad for a 15yo whippersnapper…

Squiz the Day

6.00am (AEDT) - This year’s Ballon d’Or winners will be announced in football’s night of nights - Paris

10.00am (AEDT) - An inquest is to begin into the death in prison of disgraced former NSW Police Detective Roger Rogerson who was serving a life sentence for murder - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - State of the Climate Report briefing, issued by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology every 2 years to show long-term trends in our climate and weather - online

10.10am (AEDT) - Forestry Australia National Symposium (until 31 October) - Ballarat, Vic

1.15pm (AEDT) - Seven West Media news chief Anthony De Ceglie will speak at the Melbourne Press Club about how he’s preparing the company for the future - Melbourne

PM Anthony Albanese and Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will announce plans for Australia’s first commercial concentrated solar heat plant in Wodonga, Vic

International Mining and Resources Conference 2024 (until 31 October) - Sydney

The Australasian Emissions Reduction (AER) Summit (on until 30 Oct) - Melbourne

Super & Wealth Summit 2024 - Sydney

Rory Stewart from The Rest Is Politics podcast kicks off his Aussie tour in Sydney

Turkey’s National Day

World Stroke Day

World Psoriasis Day

Birthdays for the voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta (1957) and Winona Ryder (1971)

Anniversary of:

• the release of the first ballpoint pen, manufactured by Biro (1945)

• the first publication of the comic Asterix in French magazine Pilote, illustrated by Albert Uderzo (1959)

• John Glenn becoming the oldest person to travel into space at 77yo on board the Space Shuttle Discovery (1998)

• China announcing the end of their one-child policy after 35 years (2015)

• the first Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air plane crashing into the sea just after takeoff near Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board (2018)