Wednesday, 11 September - Here we are now, entertain us

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 11 September. In your Squiz Today…

• A stoush over the RBA

• The Royal itinerary

• And a work quandary to poo-nder…

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Squiz Sayings

Was one headline after Beyoncé’s latest album Cowboy Carter featuring one of this year’s biggest country songs Texas Hold ‘Em received no nominations for the 2024 Country Music Awards. At least her dog hasn’t died/man hasn’t left her/truck hasn’t stopped working…

Not getting onboard

The Squiz

Moves to reform the Reserve Bank’s structure have been derailed with the Coalition pulling support from the Albanese Government’s plan. This blew up yesterday, meaning the biggest overhaul of the Reserve Bank in a generation would likely need support from the Greens after the Coalition ended months of negotiations over the creation of an interest rate committee with a separate governance board to run everything else. Treasurer Jim Chalmers - who was hoping for bipartisan support - said the Coalition was being “irresponsible” and putting “politics before economics”. But the Coalition’s Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor said it was the Albanese Government playing politics “having spent the last week or so out there bagging the Reserve Bank”. 

Back it up a bit…

Chalmers commissioned a review of the Reserve Bank, and the final report was delivered in March last year featuring 10 key recommendations, including splitting the central bank’s board (which is made up of officials, experts and business people). The reason to do that is the review found under its current structure, the board struggles to oversee the institution’s operation, the money supply and interest rate settings. As we’ve talked about a lot of late, the Reserve Bank is critical in the nation’s management of inflation, so there’s been a lot of chat about how the changes would work. Yesterday, Taylor said the Coalition wasn’t satisfied that Chalmers has got it right - but Chalmers says something’s happened within the Coalition because he and Taylor were chatting recently about board appointments for the new structure.

Anything else?

Yep… Coalition leader Peter Dutton will announce today he wants to fast-track hundreds of mining and energy projects, telling the sector he’d be “the best friend you ever had” if elected. In a speech to the Minerals Council of Australia conference, he’s expected to say he’d “turbocharge” projects in order to meet demand. It comes as the Albanese Government has copped criticism from the sector for industrial relations reforms. Expect to hear more about that today... Also likely to be back on the agenda is the government’s plan to introduce legislation by the end of the year to ban children under a certain age (likely to be between 14-16yo) from using social media. Here’s an explainer of how it would work. 

Bone Appétit!

We know Squizers are pet people - when we asked you about it in June, 71.5% of the more than 1,200 respondents told us you’re a slave to your animal. So for the dog-owners, you’ll be onto Bell & Bone’s launch of their Healthy Treats range like… a dog on a bone. Packed with collagen and other vitamins and minerals to optimise their mobility, gut and skin health, they’re a treat with super benefits. Find out more here.

Squiz the Rest

A tragedy in the Blue Mountains

NSW Police have launched a major investigation after the bodies of 2 boys, aged 9 and 11yo, were found in a home in the Blue Mountains. Reports say their 42yo mother was also found with what's believed to be self-inflicted stab wounds. She’s been arrested and is under police custody in Westmead Hospital… What we know so far is that the boys were found dead in a house in the town of Faulconbridge, about 80km west of Sydney, just before 1pm yesterday. Their father was the one who found them and contacted emergency services. NSW Police Superintendent John Nelson said the woman was known to police, but “only for minor matters”. He also said it's too early to speculate about what happened. In the meantime, neighbours have paid tribute, with one saying she used to see the “lovely, local kids” riding their bikes home from school together. 

If you or anyone you know has been affected by domestic or family violence, you can find a list of support services here.

Another deadly day in Gaza

Hamas says at least 19 Palestinians sheltering in a designated safe zone were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern part of the territory. Israel says its aircraft were targeting a command centre used by Hamas fighters, but local officials say 3 strikes hit camps of displaced people sheltering in tents in the supposed humanitarian safe zone of al-Mawasi. There’s also been a ramp-up of violence in the Israeli-controlled West Bank - with Israel struggling to contain a rising Palestinian insurgency. Overnight, the US accused Israeli troops of shooting dead an American activist during a protest in the area last week. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the attack “unprovoked and unjustified” and he’s called for “fundamental changes” to the way the IDF operates in the West Bank.

The Greatest Showdown 

Hands up if you’re excited to see Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off in one of the most hotly anticipated political match-ups of this unusual campaign…  Fun fact: today’s debate will be the first time the pair have met in person. And the stakes are high for both candidates with polls saying Americans feel they don’t know Harris that well, and Trump’s temperament is again under review. An adviser to the former president says Trump’s been “fine-tuning the theatrics” of his performance as Harris got match-ready with a Trump lookalike. You’ll have no probs watching it go down today - most of the free-to-air networks will carry the full 90 minutes live at 11am AEST. 

Royals Down Under

Buckingham Palace has released more details about King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Royal tour Down Under next month. In their first trip to Australia since Charles became King, the Royals will spend 5 days from 18 to 23 October visiting Sydney and Canberra before heading to Samoa for this year’s CHOGM. In the capital, the King and Queen will attend a formal reception in Parliament House, lay a wreath at the War Memorial and meet with CSIRO scientists researching bushfires. The Sydney leg of the trip will be more relaxed, with a barbecue on Sydney Harbour planned. While he’s here, the King will meet with Australians of the Year Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer to discuss their groundbreaking research into cancer treatment, which the King has been undergoing since his own diagnosis was announced early this year.

Something to poo-nder

If your social media feeds haven’t been graced yet with the latest viral social media poo-sts from Queensland Health, they are something to behold… The department’s being praised by health and marketing experts for breaking down the taboo around doing #2s at work - which they say is normalising healthy human behaviour. The campaign is “a psychedelic montage of dolphins, unicorns and rainbows” with the aim of raising awareness about the issues that can come from people avoiding the loo while away from home, like colon problems and haemorrhoids. But as you might imagine, it’s sparked some serious debate about office etiquette… As one respondent on Facebook said: “I’m sitting here reading this on the toilet at work.” Now that’s TMI… 

Apropos of Nothing

If you’re not a regular agricultural show-goer, you’ll be pleased to hear that a staple of yesteryear is still going strong… Melbourne Royal Show (home to the largest show bag pavilion in the southern hemisphere) has 350 bags to choose from this year - make ours a Bertie Beetle. 

Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a whale…? That’s what Londoners were asking themselves as Airbus’ unusual Beluga aircraft touched down at Heathrow Airport on Monday. It’s named after the marine mammal, and the resemblance is uncanny…

Tuckshops have turned healthy on the sly at a school in Queensland’s Thornlands, where a “sneaky” vege dish has won ‘Tuckshop Recipe of the Year’. We know that lying to children is wrong, but apparently, the kids have no idea the creamy pasta is loaded with veggies...

Squiz the Day

7.15am (AEST) - Our Paralympic athletes return from France - Sydney International Airport

8.00am (AEST) - Meta executives will front a public hearing for the Senate inquiry into Adopting Artificial Intelligence - Canberra

9.00am (AEST) - The Australian Army will host the Chief of Army Symposium (CAS) 2024 at this year's Land Forces (on until 13 September) - Melbourne

9.30am (AEST) - Actor Simon Baker is due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to drink driving charges - Mullumbimby, NSW

11.00am (AEST) - Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face-off in the second presidential debate on US ABC - Philadelphia

11.30am (AEST) - Universities Australia Chair Professor David Lloyd will address the National Press Club on "Policy or politics? – Australia’s future and the role of universities"- Canberra

6.30pm (AEST) - Chris Hemsworth and Bryan Tyree Henry will attend the film premiere of Transformers One - Sydney

ABS data release - Overseas Arrivals and Departures, July; Industrial disputes, June

Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year)

Make Your Bed Day

Birthdays for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad (1965) and musician Moby (1965)

Anniversary of:

• Enid Blyton publishing the first of her Famous Five children's novels, which went on to become one of the best-selling children's series ever with over 100 million sold (1942)

• the release of the Atari 2600 video game console, which revolutionised the video game industry (1977)

• the last known smallpox death - that of medical photographer Janet Parker who was infected in a British lab (1978)

• the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,996 people (2001)

Thursday
3.30am (AEST) - Men's Cricket: First T20I - Australia v England - England and watch on Kayo