Tuesday, 31 March - Leaving on a jet plane

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 31 March. In your Squiz Today…

• The search ends for the fugitive known as Dezi Freeman

• The Albanese government halves the fuel excise as part of a 4-stage fuel security plan

• And we have a winner in our ‘PM for a Day’ competition 

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said PM Anthony Albanese, announcing 9 new shipments of oil are heading our way next month to replace 6 that were cancelled - and providing a moment of levity during a serious presser. More on how the government’s trying to lighten the load further down…

The end of the line for Dezi Freeman

The Squiz

After 7 months on the run, a man believed to be the fugitive was shot dead by police yesterday morning at a remote property in Victoria’s north-east. It’s around 150km away from where he allegedly shot and killed 2 police officers last year - and while the search for him is now over, the Police Association of Victoria said it “doesn't lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public”.

Remind me about Dezi Freeman…

Also known as Desmond Filby, he was a self-proclaimed ‘sovereign citizen’ - that’s someone who believes that the government and legal system have no authority over them. He’d had several run-ins with police in the lead up to 10 officers arriving at the Porepunkah property in Victoria’s Alpine region where he was living on 26 August last year to carry out a search warrant. Instead of letting them in, Freeman allegedly opened fire, killing officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart and injuring a third, before escaping into bushland. The shootings rocked the small community, and the town was locked down for several days afterwards while police set out to track Freeman down in what became one of the largest manhunts in Victoria’s history, with a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

So how did police find him?

Reports say a tip-off from the public led police to a remote property near Walwa, close to the Victorian-NSW border. There, they closed in early yesterday morning on a man believed to be Freeman hiding in a shipping container. Reports say police tried to negotiate with him for around 3 hours before he came out wrapped in a doona and armed. He was shot dead at around 8.30am. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush praised the officers involved and said they acted with “textbook professionalism”. He said police would need to formally identify Freeman before they could confirm it was him, and given he was several hours’ drive away from where he killed officers Thompson and De Waart-Hottart, they’ll now be investigating if - and how - he was helped in evading capture for so long…

It all STEMs from the classroom…

Here’s a stat for you: the federal government is aiming to fill 650,000 STEM jobs in Australia by 2030 - and that number will only go up… That’s why supporting teachers with the right tools and resources to teach STEM subjects to the next generation is becoming increasingly important. But they are facing systemic barriers in classrooms… So, to help, Amazon has joined with digital education organisation Tech Futures Australia to create a Virtual Teacher Training program that aims to reach half a million students by 2028. You can learn more and sign up here.

Squiz the Rest

Trump renews his threats

As the death toll from the war in the Middle East continues to rise, US President Donald Trump has again threatened to hit Iran’s energy infrastructure if it doesn’t reach a peace deal. Trump has also revealed discussions with a major Iranian official - parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf - and said that the US would know if he was someone it could trust “in about a week”. For his part, Ghalibaf has denied any contact with the US - and has been regularly critical of Trump on social media and in public. He’s not alone - plenty of global leaders are questioning when the war will end, as the economic consequences continue to bite. That includes PM Albanese, who said last night that he wants Trump to commit to ending the conflict - and recognise the damage it’s done to the global economy.

Speaking of which…

After a meeting of national cabinet yesterday, the Albanese government has revealed a national fuel security plan. The key bits: the fuel excise - aka the flat tax we pay on petrol/diesel at the pump - will be halved for 3 months from tomorrow. It’s going to cost taxpayers $2.55 billion, but it’ll cut the cost of fuel by 26.3c a litre (saving drivers around $19 for a 65-litre tank of petrol). And the heavy vehicle road user charge will also be reduced to zero for the same period, to help truckies cope with the steep rise in the cost of diesel since the war began. The plan outlines 4 increasingly serious levels of fuel security challenges - we’re at Level 2 right now, and while fuel rationing isn’t specifically mentioned, it might kick in if we hit Level 4 - but the PM says we’re still “a substantial way away” from reaching Level 3 yet.

Taxing times for the Liberals

A bit of argy bargy within the top ranks of the Liberal Party has been making headlines… It started on Sunday, when Coalition industry spokesman Andrew Hastie called for the Libs to be more “open-minded” about proposed changes to taxes including the Capital Gains Tax and negative gearing. Hastie - who was discussed as a possible Liberal leadership contender last month before Taylor won the role - said “the best way to beat Labor is to start listening to people and meeting their concerns head-on”. But Taylor shut that down yesterday, saying “if you whack a tax on something, you get less of it”, and the government’s focus should be on delivering more oil, gas and houses. Reports (paywall) say Taylor has spoken to Hastie about being a bit more careful around toeing the party line going forward… 

Jett flies into the top job

After a month spent asking their audience of primary school kids to nominate the one thing they’d do to make Oz better if they were Prime Minister for a day, our friends at Squiz Kids have picked a winner - 12yo Jett, from Dalveen in country Queensland. Around 500 kids had a crack at the civics engagement contest, but Jett’s idea to educate Australians about food wastage got him the nod. According to Jett: “Imperfect looking food tastes exactly the same - it just looks a little different, and if more people understood this, farmers would get paid fairly for the work they do and less food would be wasted.” Today, Jett will take that message straight to the top when, as part of his prize, he meets with the (actual) PM in Canberra. His name’s Jett, he’s from Queensland - and he’s here to help…
*It’s a great time to check out Squiz Kids, our resource to help primary school-aged kids stay informed and navigate the news. Everything you need is here….

Manifest destiny

A viral speech by small-time criminal Jack Karlson in 1991 is one of 9 pieces of notable Aussie audio that have been picked for preservation by the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) today. Karlson was arrested while eating a “succulent Chinese meal” at a restaurant in Queensland - and his speech while being loaded into a police car was captured for news broadcast - before going viral on YouTube years later. Karlson died in 2024, but you can see the full story behind the clip here… Other preserved pieces for the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia collection include Rosie Batty’s 2015 Australian of the Year speech, Missy Higgins’ 2004 classic Scar, and the sound of the PB/5 pedestrian crossing button, which - fun fact - is featured in Billie Eilish’s 2019 single bad guy… 

Apropos of Nothing

Photos of a red sky that appeared in Western Oz before Tropical Cyclone Narelle hit have gone global - with the New York Times, Washington Post and plenty of others running the arresting images…

You might remember Punch the macaque from a zoo in Japan whose only friend was his Ikea stuffed monkey. In a welcome update, he’s made some friends in his enclosure, and even seems to have found a mate… A bit of an upgrade from his plushie…

A fruit (yes, fruit) version of Love Island has been making waves across social media - to mixed responses. The short clips feature characters like Watermelina, Plumero and Cherrita getting pulled for a chat, fighting and making up. It’s sort of like Cocomelon for adults…

Squiz the Day

10.00am (AEDT) - The Squiz Kids PM for a day competition winner will be officially announced at Parliament House - Canberra 

10:30am (AEDT) - The 2026 State of Voluntary Assisted Dying in Australia report will be released, looking at who accesses assisted dying in Oz and how the system is working

11.00am (AEDT) - Bed in a box company Koala Co Ltd will list on the ASX 

9.00am (AWST) - Liam Alexander Hall, accused of throwing a bomb into an Australia Day crowd and engaging in a terrorist act, is back in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court - Perth

12.30pm (AEDT) - Israeli ambassador Hillel Newman will address the National Press Club - Canberra 

8.10pm (AEDT) - Football: Game 2 of a double header event before the FIFA World Cup Socceroos v Curacao, AAMI Park - Melbourne, watch on 10play 

It’s Kevin Rudd’s final day as Australia’s ambassador to the US

The National Diabetes Summit is on, with Health Minister Mark Butler as the keynote speaker - Canberra

The minutes of the Reserve Bank’s March Monetary Policy Board meeting are set to be released. Something else to note: the RBA will also put out its Conclusions Paper on merchant card payment costs and surcharging.

ABS data release: Regional population, 2024-2025 financial year; Barriers and incentives to labour force participation, December 2025 

International Transgender Day of Visibility - at 3pm AEST, Trans Justice Meanjin will be unveiling the world’s largest trans flag at Davies Park in Brisbane

World Backup Day

🌮Day of the Taco in Mexico

Birthdays for actor Christopher Walken (1943), former US Veep Al Gore (1948), musician Angus Young (1955) and actor Ewan McGregor (1971)

Anniversary of:

• Oliver Cromwell being offered the crown by the English Parliament, which he declined (1657)

• Donald Trump buying Eastern Air Lines shuttle, which he renamed Trump Shuttle (1989)

• Harry and Meghan officially stepping down from royal duties (2020)