Tuesday, 9 September - I don't think you're ready for this jelly

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 9 September. In your Squiz Today…

• Erin Patterson learns her sentence

• France’s fresh political crisis

• And a Aussie video game breaks the internet…

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Said English singer Yungblud, who led a tribute to his mentor, the late rocker Ozzy Osbourne, at the MTV VMAs yesterday. He wasn't alone - Steven Tyler & Joe Perry from Aerosmith and Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt joined in to honour Osborne's work. Rock on…

Erin Patterson learns her fate

The Squiz

More than 2 years after murdering 3 relatives and attempting to kill another with a poisonous mushroom lunch, Erin Patterson has been sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court. Justice Christopher Beale delivered the sentence to the 50yo yesterday morning, imposing a penalty of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years. That means she'll be in her early 80s when she becomes eligible for parole, which would make her one of Victoria's longest-serving female inmates.

What was his reasoning?

You’ll likely remember that Patterson killed her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson when she served them beef Wellington laced with toxic death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Heather’s husband Ian was the sole surviving guest. Patterson has always maintained her innocence. Yesterday, in his sentencing remarks, Justice Beale said her offending fell into the “worst category”, and that she’d also “inflicted untold suffering” on her 2 children by killing their “beloved grandparents”. Speaking outside the court, Ian Wilkinson thanked investigators for bringing “to light the truth of what happened to 3 good people”. He said he’s “thankful that when things go wrong, there are good people and services and systems available to help”, and encouraged everyone to “be kind to each other”.

So what happens next?

Following the hearing, Patterson was returned to the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre - the maximum security prison in Melbourne’s west where she’ll serve out her sentence. She has already spent 676 days in pre-sentence detention, and we have a bit of an idea of how she’s been spending her time… She’s been held in isolation for about 22 hours a day, with reports saying the notoriety of her crimes puts her at “significant risk” from the other prisoners - meaning she’s not allowed to mix with them. The other thing to note - Patterson’s legal team has until 6 October to lodge an appeal, and The Australian is reporting that she will (paywall)...

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Squiz the Rest

France is dealing with a fresh political crisis…

MPs have voted to oust the French PM François Bayrou in a confidence motion called by himself. He's the fourth PM to serve under President Emmanuel Macron in 2 years, and he's leaving after 9 months in the job. It's the latest political crisis in the country, and it comes after Bayrou's minority centrist government pushed for huge budget cuts to tackle France's mounting debts. Last year, Macron called a snap election in June, hoping to achieve a majority government, but it backfired, resulting in a divided parliament, which has made it difficult for him to gather support to pass bills and the budget. The deadlock has some parties on the far-right and far-left calling for an early Presidential election, but Macron has so far refused to stand down before his term ends in 2027. He says a new PM will be named within days.

The PM talks climate change

At a speech to the Business Council of Australia’s annual dinner last night, PM Anthony Albanese asked the business community to get behind his government’s plan on reducing emissions. The government is set to announce our new target for 2035 later this month - reports say it’s likely to be in the 65-75% range - and the BCA itself wants it lower, while others say it should be higher. Last night, the PM said fighting over emissions targets had hurt the economy in the past, and he warned against that happening again - we’ll see if that argument holds.... The climate will stay top of mind as the PM heads off to Vanuatu today, before hopping over to the Solomon Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. He’ll be talking to plenty there who are worried about climate change, so it’s one to watch… 

*For more on our climate target and our showdown with Turkey over hosting the UN’s major climate summit next year, we’ve got a Shortcut for you… 

Another police officer is farewelled

Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was yesterday honoured by family, friends and colleagues in a funeral service attended by hundreds. You probably know his name - he’s the 59yo who was one of 2 police officers killed by alleged gunman Dezi Freeman in the Victorian alpine town of Porepunkah 2 weeks ago. His colleague, 34yo Vadim de Waart-Hottart, was farewelled during a funeral last week. Yesterday, Thompson’s partner Lisa was emotional as she led the tributes - remembering him as “the best husband she never had”, saying “words cannot convey the depth of sorrow and grief that his loss brings”. Police Chief Mike Bush also said Thompson was “robbed” of his retirement. As for the search for Freeman, it’s ongoing - he hasn’t been seen since he ran into the Mount Buffalo National Park a fortnight ago.

Coles and Woolworths count the cost… 

…Of a Federal Court finding that the 2 supermarket giants had underpaid thousands of their workers for years. On Friday, the court found that the 2 companies didn’t keep accurate roster records, meaning some of their salaried workers hadn’t been paid fair overtime or penalty rates. That meant they were on the hook for millions in repayments, but yesterday we got an idea of just how many millions… Woolworths says it’s already paid back $486 million and has put another half a billion aside for further compensation. The numbers are a bit less dramatic for Coles, which said it will be paying another $250 million in addition to the $30 million it’s already paid. Those are early numbers - it’s a complex case involving complex laws - and it’s set to be back in court on 27 October. 

An Aussie video game breaks the internet

Our local games industry has had a big win, with the newly released Hollow Knight: Silksong becoming one of the biggest hits of the year. Silksong is made by the South Oz studio Team Cherry, and it’s a game where players play as a small bug called Hornet, wielding a needle as a sword as she explores a mysterious bug-filled world. It’s the long-awaited follow-up to their 2017 game Hollow Knight - so long-awaited, in fact, that it became a running joke online amongst gamers who were getting increasingly eager/frustrated for the sequel. When it was finally released last week, that demand crashed online game stores and led to huge sales numbers - it’s become a major success. Here’s a review - and a trailer in case you’re thinking of playing it for yourself…

Apropos of Nothing - Ready for this Jellycat edition

Step aside Labubus. Jellycats - another brand of plushies - are in the news a lot at the moment, thanks in part to a spate of robberies (paywall) in the UK specifically targeting the toys. It’s become so bad some shops have had to keep them out of sight so they don’t get pinched…

One of those thefts was committed by Marco Pierre White Jr, the son of the celebrity chef, who admitted to stealing over $3,000 worth of them as part of a series of thefts across the UK. He'll be sentenced on a date yet to be set… 

And in Shanghai, (yes, there are really 3 separate Jellycat stories in the news right now), a luxury mall is opening a Jellycat Cafe to try and attract customers back to the centre. It’s a reservation-only cafe because demand is so high - hopefully it’s also got good security…

Squiz the Day

6.05am (AEST) - The Australian Institute on Health and Welfare will release its 8th annual report on suicide among Veterans and Defence Force members - Canberra
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8.00am (AEST) - PM Anthony Albanese will travel to Vanuatu for a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat before he heads to the Solomon Islands for this year’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting - Port Vila, Vanuatu

8.00am (AEST) - Trade Minister Don Farrell will speak at the Asia Summit 2025, hosted by AFR Live - Sydney

8.00am (ACST) - The first of 3 public hearings for the Senate committee’s inquiry on South Australia’s algal bloom will take place - Seacliff, South Australia

9.00am (AEST) - Environment Minister Murray Watt will speak at the Smart Energy Council Conference - Brisbane

10.00am (AEST) - A hearing over the trademark dispute between fashion designer Katie Taylor and popstar Katy Perry will take place at the High Court of Australia - Canberra 

5.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: The Socceroos play New Zealand in a friendly match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup - Auckland, NZ watch on Paramount+

8.30pm (AEST) - Season 4 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe drops with guests including Lorde, Paul Kelly and - wait for it - Kevin Bacon… Watch on ABC iView

New safeguards for children using AI will be announced by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. The 6 new safety codes will prevent them from having conversations of a sexual, violent or harmful nature, with AI companies being required to embed age assurance tech.

The 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) will begin (until 29 September) - New York, US

ABS data releases: Monthly Business Turnover Indicator, July 2025; Total Value of Dwellings, June Quarter, 2025

North Korea’s National Day

World EV Day

International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day

Birthdays for actors Hugh Grant (1960), Adam Sandler (1966), and Michelle Williams (1980), and crooner Michael Bublé (1975)

Anniversary of:

• 9mo Mary Stuart being crowned Queen of Scots (1543)

• Congress officially renaming the United Colonies the United States of America (1776)

• the birthdays of explorer William Bligh (1754), author Leo Tolstoy (1828), KFC founder Colonel Sanders (1890) and musician Otis Redding (1941)

• the death of Mao Zedong (1976)

• Queen Elizabeth II becoming the Commonwealth’s longest-reigning monarch at 63 years and 7 months, surpassing the previous record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria (2015)

• the release of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide final report (2024)

Wednesday
3.00am (AEST) - Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 at a “special event” in California - Cupertino, US, livestream the event here