Wednesday, 28 August - He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 28 August. In your Squiz Today…

• Election battle lines are drawn

• The CFMEU strikes back

• And the UK is ready to rock…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Melbourne cafe owner James Laskie, who helped former AFL player/Carlton coach Michael Voss make a “pretty hectic” citizen’s arrest of an alleged car thief yesterday. He says they scaled fences and jumped bins during the chase - it sounds like Vossy still has it…

Are you ready for it?

The Squiz

PM Anthony Albanese hasn’t set the date yet, but this week has seen battle lines drawn by both the major parties on issues that will feature prominently in the upcoming federal election - managing the economy and who is best to lead Australia in these tricky times. Yesterday, Coalition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor outlined a “back to basics” inflation-fighting budgetary approach that would include cutting government spending by $100 billion. Meanwhile, the PM and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have been upping the personal attacks on Coalition leader Peter Dutton, questioning his suitability for higher office. 

What’s that about? 

To start with the Coalition’s moves first, it’s of the view that Team Albanese is spending excessively, which it claims (and the government denies…) is contributing to our drawn-out inflation problems and high interest rates. So as part of their ‘better economic managers’ pitch, Team Dutton has identified a list of programs to go on. Note: the latest inflation data will be out this morning, so it will segue neatly into questions for the government about how they intend to bring inflation down... The latest polls say Dutton and Co are getting traction on some big issues. Cue some moves from the government pushing back hard against their challengers… 

And what has Team Albanese said about Dutton? 

In a speech Treasurer Chalmers gave on Monday night, he labelled Dutton “the most divisive leader of a major political party in Australia’s modern history”. Dutton responded yesterday, saying Chalmers “wants to talk about everything but his failure in the economy”. In the meantime, the government is striking things off its to-do list… Yesterday, Education Minister Jason Clare announced a cap on new international students enrolling at our universities. It will see a maximum of 145,000 international students enrolling at uni and 95,000 at vocational institutions in 2025 - down 53,000 from last year. Clare says the aim is to crack down on those providing “a backdoor” for students to work in Australia, but it comes after the Coalition drew a link with the added pressure on Australia’s housing market… Long story short, ready or not, here comes the next election… 

Giving a boost to local heroes

Over the past 6 years, the Westfield Local Heroes program has granted more than $7.4 million to over 700 community organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Pretty cool, right? And now they’re asking you to vote for your local hero with $30,000 worth of grants available at each Westfield destination to further their amazing work. Read their stores - and then vote at westfield.com.au/local-heroes

Squiz the Rest

Ukraine looks to the West

Russia has continued to pound Ukraine after the “most massive” attack of the war on Monday. Ukrainian air defence systems are struggling against hundreds of missiles/drones fired at multiple regions, including Kyiv, and reports say while the Kremlin targeted energy infrastructure, the damage to Ukraine’s morale is also significant. President Volodymyr Zelensky has told Western allies his offensive inside Russia's Kursk region is part of a “victory plan”, but “the time for decisive action is now” and he’s called on the US to lift restrictions on the use of American weapons inside Russia’s borders. He also wants the US, UK and France to provide high-tech air support saying it has “proven effective in the Middle East; it must work in Europe too”. US President Joe Biden called Moscow’s attacks “outrageous” but so far has not indicated any further support.

The union strikes back

Friday’s move by the Federal Parliament to force the construction arm of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union - aka the CFMEU - into administration over allegations of corruption/links to organised crime led to massive protests yesterday. Tens of thousands of tradies took to the streets in nearly every capital city. Protest leaders say the CFMEU has been “unfairly treated” and that “all workers, all unions are under fire". But PM Albanese isn’t for turning - he says Aussies “want to see this industry cleaned up”. Wishing won’t make it so, and the fight looks set to continue… Sacked Queensland/Northern Territory branch leader Michael Ravbar says he’ll launch a High Court challenge against the laws, saying it's "the biggest fight that we've ever had."

CFMEU what now? Get across the allegations that started it all in this Squiz Shortcut.

You get a profit, and you get a profit…

Down down might have been their slogan, but Coles’ profit isn’t heading in that direction… It’s reported $1.1 billion in earnings for the 2023-24 financial year - up 2.1% on last year. Boss Leah Weckert reckons we’re “choosing to eat out less and eating at home more” thanks to cozzie livs. But Greens Senator Nick McKim - who chaired the Senate Committee into supermarket pricing - called it a “sick joke”, accusing Coles of price-gouging as food costs continue to drive inflation. The claims have been rejected by some analysts who say prices at the checkout have been falling. The spotlight will stay on big businesses today with Greens leader Adam Bandt announcing a proposal for “Robin Hood” style tax reforms. And Woolworths' results are due, as boss Brad Banducci gets ready to hand in his name tag.

Rising tides and temperatures

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a splash at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga yesterday, warning that ocean temperatures in the region are rising at 3 times the global rate, leaving locals "uniquely exposed" to climate change. As a result, he’s issuing "a global SOS - Save Our Seas”. And the climate alarm bells are ringing closer to home as our winter records continue to be smashed like mercury going through the top of a weather gauge with temperatures 10C higher than average in many parts of the country, including Western Australia’s Kimberley region, which hit 41.6C on Monday. And that’s not the only indicator… Reports say the early arrival of spring flowers has become “worryingly consistent”, with plants like kangaroo paw blooming months ahead of schedule. 

The Masterplan

As millions of under 35yos wonder what all the fuss is about, Oasis has confirmed they will be reuniting - 15 years after the Britpop mega band split due to - ahem - ‘creative differences’... The famously feuding Gallagher brothers insist their coming together is not due to any “great revelatory moment” but “just the gradual realisation that the time is right.” It will be their first tour in 16 years, with 14 dates across the UK/Ireland in 2025. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, but the prices won’t be revealed beforehand, so fans will have to Roll With It… And if you can’t travel that far, Don’t Go Away because there could be opportunities closer to home, as the band says more global shows will be added... Reports say the whole shebang could rake in $778 million, which Some Might Say is a pretty good reason to bury the family hatchet…

A Squiz at News Club

It's Wednesday, and if you’re signed up for our News Club newsletter, you know what that means - the latest Newsmakers interview will be landing in your inbox around midday today. Can’t wait? The podcast is already live. This week, we chat with Leigh Sales about everything from her time anchoring 7.30 to her writings on grief, and her side hustle Chat 10 Looks 3. It’s safe to say that this chat was a big moment for us, and we reckon you'll really enjoy it.

And if you’re new around here, News Club is the place for conversations about the news. You can sign up here to get the newsletters straight to your inbox.

Apropos of Nothing

US basketball legend Michael Jordan has had his $22 million Chicago mansion on the market for 12 years, but a recent TikTok video tour of the abandoned property in a state of disrepair might give it the marketing boost it needs. You know what they say about all publicity…

If you scream for ice cream, pop singer Dua Lipa might have you covered - reports say she’s applied to put her name against a frozen dessert line. There’s no word on flavours yet, but it sounds like chocolate’s out, and vanilla/olive oil is in…

Toe shoes (the ones popular with the athletic amongst us…) have been a thing for years, but fashion insiders reckon we’re about to see a lot more of them, with 2024 being dubbed “the year of the FiveFingers”. And then there’s these lace ones…

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Squiz the Day

12.30pm (AEST) - Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt will address the National Press Club on "The Greens’ plan to take on corporate greed and build a better life for all of us" - Canberra

Company results - Woolworths, APA, Fortescue, Nine Entertainment, Bega Cheese, Flight Centre 

ABS Data Release - Monthly Consumer Price Index, July; Construction Work Done, June 

2024 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year - South Australia

La Tomatina (Spain’s tomato throwing festival) is on in the town of Buñol

Birthdays for Shania Twain (1965), Sonia Kruger (1965), Sheryl Sandberg (1969) and Jack Black (1969)

Anniversary of:

• pharmacists John Lea & William Perrins inventing Worcestershire sauce (1837)

• Reverend Martin Luther King delivering his 'I have a dream' speech (1963)