Wednesday, 26 March - I look better in black

March 26, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 26 March. In your Squiz Today…

  • Brisbane will get a new stadium for the Olympics

  • Surprise tax cuts in the Budget

  • And Quidditch on horseback…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Now the challenge is a great one.”

Said Socceroos coach Tony Popovic, after a 2-0 win over China last night - bringing our national men’s side a step closer to automatically qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. But we’re not out of the woods - we’re yet to face Japan and Saudi Arabia who are hot on our boot heels…

An Olympic-sized investment

The Squiz

There’s going to be a bunch of construction going on in Queensland after Premier David Crisafulli announced the state would build a new stadium, arena and aquatic centre - for starters - in preparation for the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The government has just finished a 100-day review into how the state was shaping up to host the games in 7 years, and the result is a suite of new venues and upgrades to current venues. But Crisafulli says the plan still falls inside the previously agreed budget of $7 billion. 

Let’s dig into the details

Get ready for some big numbers and big dollars… The stadium will be a 63,000-seater and will be plonked down in Victoria Park in the city’s north - that’s already led to protests as the site has significance to First Nations people. Making things more awkward for Crisafulli is that one of his promises ahead of his election win last year was “no new stadiums” - but he says it ended up being the only good option. It’s expected to cost $3.7 billion, but it’s not just for the games - it’ll be the new home of AFL and cricket after the fact, so there’s talk of the 2 sports chipping in some dosh, so the whole cost doesn’t fall on taxpayers. And the new stadium is just the start - you can see the full list of projects here. 

So it’s full steam ahead?

Maybe… That $7 billion we mentioned earlier is split between the Queensland Government and the Feds, but that was before the change of plan. For example, $2.5 billion of the funding was earmarked for a 20,000-seat indoor venue, and reports say that money will now go towards the new stadium, but the 2 sides are still working out the details. Before Brisbane won the rights to the games back in 2021, the International Olympic Committee said they wanted host cities to only use existing venues for the event - that’s gone out the window now. And while the Australian Olympic Committee says it’s happy with the plan, there’s still a lot of water to go under the Story Bridge to get it ticked off…

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Squiz the Rest

The Budget they had to have

Cost of living is a key concern, and knock us down with a feather - last night’s Federal Budget was essentially a round-up of the Albanese Government’s already-announced initiatives to address exactly that… In his 4th Budget in 3 years, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government is focused on “a new generation of prosperity in a new world of uncertainty”, while the Coalition’s spokesman Angus Taylor said it was a Budget for "the next 5 weeks, not for the next 5 years". There was one surprise package - cuts to the lowest tax rate that will cost around $17.1 billion and benefit every taxpayer from next financial year. Here’s a quick guide to see if you’re a winner or a loser… The Coalition’s response will air tomorrow night.  

A US security snafu

There are big questions being asked of US President Donald Trump’s national security team after a political journalist revealed he was included in highly confidential comms about military plans in the Middle East… National Security Adviser Michael Waltz was the one who accidentally added the journo to the group chat - before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a message about strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen hours before they were carried out. The Trump administration has verified the messages but says no classified information was shared - and it hasn’t said why they were sent outside official channels... While that’s been happening, the US has also been involved in brokering a truce in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine, but progress towards a broader peace deal is proving slow going… 

Bankruptcy and me

Millions of people could have their DNA data sold after genetic testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy. The US-based firm is similar to another major genetic testing company, Ancestry - both offer home testing kits for people to learn about their family history. And despite 15 million customers buying 23andMe's kits - and its involvement in helping solve some high-profile cold cases - it hasn't turned a profit since it went public in 2021 when it was valued at nearly $10 billion. It's now valued at $74 million… Reports have pointed to the high cost of living, with sales falling in recent years, leading to the company’s plans to “sell substantially all of its assets”. Experts say there’s not much customers can do - the company has the right to transfer data. A reminder to read the fine print carefully…

Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin’ alive

Give yourself a pat on the back if you’re in Victoria: a new report’s found the state has the best survival rate in Oz for people suffering from cardiac arrest and is in the top 3 jurisdictions globally. The Victorian Ambulance report says that, along with education and more equipment (like defibrillators) being rolled out, Victorians themselves are stepping up. From 2023-24, bystanders gave CPR in 79% of cardiac arrest incidents, with 141 cases utilising one of the state's 7,500 public defibrillators. FYI - those who go without CPR or a defibrillator only have a 5-10% chance of survival. The results aren't a shock to Ambulance Victoria's Dr Ziad Nehme - he says "when CPR and defibrillation are provided quickly, survival chances increase significantly". Michael Scott would be happy…

No horsing around here

“Quidditch on horseback” is how the sport of horseball is often described - but if you’re not up-to-date on your Harry Potter references, we’ll point you here for a gander… To explain: the game has 2 teams, each with 4 players, fighting for possession of a leather ball. They have to pass it a certain number of times before shooting it into a hoop - so “basketball and rugby on horseback”, as Aussie player Char Adams says, probably best describes it. And if you’re thinking it sounds niche, just know there’s a Horseball World Cup… The 2025 event’s in Argentina this week, and we’ve got a couple of Aussie teams taking part - so if you see them galloping across your screens, you’ll know why. Giddy up…

Apropos of Nothing - Gone missing edition

It’s happened to the best of us: getting to your destination only to realise you’ve forgotten something important. So spare a thought for the pilot of a United Airlines flight from LA to China, who had to turn the plane around after realising they’d left their passport at home. A logistical nightmare…

A couple of weeks on from the debut of her new Netflix series, the Duchess of Sussex has launched another venture - an online store for people to shop her fashion looks. It's a "handpicked and curated collection" of things she loves - and while the clothes might be her jam, there's still no sign of Megs' actual jam for sale...

Stargazers might have noticed that Saturn’s iconic rings seem to have lost their lustre - in fact they’ve all but vanished from Earth’s view. It’s a trick of the eye that happens when the two planets line up, but don’t worry - they should stick around for at least another 400 million years, so plenty of time for another glimpse…

Squiz the Day

11.30am (AEDT) - Treasurer Jim Chalmers MP will deliver a post-Budget address at the National Press Club in Canberra - you can watch it on ABC iView

12.45pm (AEDT) - Cricket: Women's T20I Australia v New Zealand - Wellington, and watch on Kayo

ABS data release - Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator, February; Engineering Construction Activity, December

Melbourne International Comedy Festival begins (until 20 April) - Melbourne

Melbourne Flower Show begins (until 30 March) - Melbourne

Independence Day in Bangladesh

World Maths Day

Birthdays for US politician Nancy Pelosi (1940), singer Diana Ross (1944), and actor Keira Knightley (1985)

Anniversary of:

  • the deaths of Beethoven (1827) and Walt Whitman (1892)

  • Boris Yeltsin becoming Russia's first president (1989)

  • filmmaker James Cameron becoming the first person to visit Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth, in more than 50 years (2012)