Wednesday, 30 October - Take me back to the start

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, 30 October. In your Squiz Today…

• A review of our response to the COVID pandemic 

• Israel cops criticism for banning a UN aid agency

• And the Tillies triumph in Germany… ⚽

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Said Aussie golfer Steven Alderson, the first autistic winner of a Golf for the Disabled Tour event in Spain. It’s been a month of firsts, with Alderson learning to navigate international airports, language barriers, and finding his favourite restaurant - KFC - but he’s handled it like a champ…

Putting COVID in the rearview mirror

The Squiz

When it comes to Australia’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did well compared to many other countries - but, as they say, there’s always room for improvement… A big independent federal government review released yesterday found Australia’s plans to deal with a global pandemic going in were “grossly inadequate” and that we only got through because Aussies were willing to cooperate with things like lockdowns. However, the report has found that the severity of those measures and inconsistencies in the state/territory approaches eroded public trust. And the report’s authors reckon any similar public health response is “unlikely to be accepted by the population again”.

Remind me of how this report came about…

This is from the inquiry commissioned by the Albanese Government last September. Former senior public servant Robyn Kruk, epidemiology professor Dr Catherine Bennett and health economist Dr Angela Jackson were placed in charge, and it was a big deal when it was announced… PM Anthony Albanese was under pressure to launch a Royal Commission into Australia’s COVID response, but he ruled it out, saying it required too much expertise and would take too long. He also copped flak for excluding individual state/territory decisions from the inquiry, with Coalition leader Peter Dutton accusing him of running a “protection racket” for the state Labor leaders in charge at the time. Fast forward to yesterday, and Health Minister Mark Butler said the report “seeks not to second-guess the decisions of the past, but to learn the lessons” for the future.

And those lessons are?

The report’s an 822-page whopper, so forgive us for not getting to all of them… On the health front, it found the long-term impact of COVID restrictions on Aussies’ mental health wasn’t considered enough and that poor communication eroded public trust, causing our current “vaccine fatigue”. It also criticised delays in the national vaccine rollout - something Treasurer Jim Chalmers says “delayed the reopening of our economy by months”. He also had a bit to say about the Morrison Government’s economic response, particularly the $88.9 billion JobKeeper program, which he says sent inflation through the roof. Just on that - the latest inflation data is out today, and most economists reckon we’ll be back in the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% target range for the first time since August 2021. Fingies crossed…

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Squiz the Rest

Israel makes a big call

The Israeli government’s decision to ban UNRWA - the UN’s Palestinian aid agency - and designate it a terrorist organisation has prompted widespread pushback from world leaders. UNRWA is the major player in terms of getting aid to Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, serving more than 1.5 million people. It’s long been at odds with Israel, but reports say a big reason for the ban was the UN’s recent confirmation of 9 UNRWA staff being involved in Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel. In the US, the Biden administration says it’s “deeply concerned” the ban will worsen Gaza’s already-dire humanitarian conditions - which was echoed by our Foreign Minister Penny Wong. It comes as an Israeli strike on a residential building in northern Gaza killed 93 people… And in Lebanon, terror group Hezbollah has announced a new leader - an appointment Israel says is “temporary”.

A Melbourne primary school community is in shock

…after an 11yo boy was killed and 4 other children hospitalised following a "tragic accident" when a car crashed through a fence at pickup time yesterday afternoon. Reports say the children were sitting at a table inside the grounds of Auburn South Primary School in Hawthorn East around 2.30pm when an SUV veered off the road and into the school. Police say a 40yo woman driving the car had just picked up her child and was attempting to do a U-turn when the incident happened. The boy was critically injured and died on the way to hospital, while another 2 girls aged 11yo, a 10yo girl and a 10yo boy are in hospital with serious injuries. The driver was arrested at the scene and she was released without charge overnight. Reports say police are investigating whether she suffered a medical episode. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the incident had cast “a dark shadow” over the state.

Myer gets massive 

Geez, it's been a big couple of days of retail… Yesterday, we chatted about the owner of Katies and Rivers going into administration - and now Myer has struck a $950 million deal that will make it one of the largest fashion brand owners across Australia and New Zealand. The department store’s tie-up with Premier Investments will make it the owner of almost 780 stores as it adds Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans and Dotti to its stable. And while the deal still needs the tick from shareholders of both companies and regulators, Myer boss Olivia Wirth says it means “there will be a brand for every Australian”. Some analysts reckon it will deliver “more purchasing power”, but veteran retail consultant Geoff Dart’s not a fan… He reckons the merger “doesn’t make sense” because “trying to cater for 13yos to 80yos is problematic”. 

The Tillies triumph with a Cooney-Cross stunner

Some highs and lows from the football world - the Matildas will be on a high after beating Germany for the first time in nearly 2 decades. It’s worth watching Kyra Cooney-Cross scoring a long-range goal - her first in 50 games - and Clare Hunt also chipped in with her first to seal the 2-1 win away from home. Their next game is against Brazil on 28 November. Also on a high - Spanish footballers Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí, who took out this year’s Ballon d’Or awards for the best football players in the world. It’s a big one - previous winners include Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe. But to go low for a moment with Manchester United’s men’s team. Manager Erik ten Hag has been sacked 9 games into the current season. He’s the fifth manager to be sacked in the last decade since long-term manager Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. Good luck to the next person….

Bluey bandit busted 

Nope, it’s not April Fool’s Day - and we also promise this isn’t a ‘Halloween heist’ episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine… Detectives in NSW have charged a third person over the theft of more than 63,000 limited edition $1 Bluey dollarbucks, stolen a few months ago from a Western Sydney warehouse. Police allege 27yo Christina Vale was the getaway driver… They've already arrested 2 men over the same crime after allegedly finding them selling the coins online for $10 a pop. And bringing the lolz, the case was cracked by Strike Force Bandit - aka the name of Bluey’s dad in the crazy successful kids cartoon. The Royal Australian Mint produced the coins to encourage a new generation to get into coin collecting. But as mumma heeler Chilli would say, you gotta do it the legit way…

Incoming News Club interview 👀 

Apropos of Nothing

Dude, where’s Angelina Jolie’s Car? A Ferrari that supposedly belonged to the actress was due to headline a sale by auction house Christie’s but has vanished from promotional material after questions were raised on a forum over whether Jolie even owns the car… 

We love an underwhelming statue at The Squiz - US basketballer Dwyane Wade’s likeness is getting roasted left, right and centre after being unveiled in Miami. He’s defending it, calling it a work of art that isn’t supposed to look exactly like him. You can be the judge of that…

Ice-skating duo Torvill and Dean are in Oz at the moment, teaching kids the joys of the sport, as they get set for their last-ever tour since skating their way into stardom at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. They’ve said they now take ice baths to stay fit. Figures…

Squiz the Day

12.15pm (AEDT) - A panel of experts at the Lowy Institute will review the US presidential election season - Sydney

12.30pm (AEDT) - Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy will address the National Press Club on Making Australians Safer: A Reshaping of Defence Strategy in the Missile Age - Canberra

1.00pm (AEDT) - The Senate inquiry into Social Media in Australia continues, hearing from eSafety Youth Council and ReachOut Youth Advocates - Canberra 

7.00pm (AEDT) - Netball: Constellation Cup Game 4, Australia v New Zealand - Melbourne, and watch on Kayo

6.30pm (AEDT) - SIX the Musical, about feisty Tudor queens rewriting history, premieres at the Theatre Royal - Sydney

Coldplay's Oz tour begins (on until 10 November) - Melbourne

ABS data release - Consumer Price Index, September quarter

BHP will hold its annual general meeting

Noosa Triathlon (until 3 November)

Botswana’s general election

Africa Day of Food and Nutrition Security

Mischief Night

Anniversary of:

• the founding of the Communist Party of Australia (1920)

• Italian dictator Benito Mussolini forming government (1933)

• the radio broadcast of HG Wells The War of the Worlds, narrated by Orson Welles. Legend has it the broadcast caused mass panic when listeners thought that Earth was being attacked by aliens from Mars (1938)

• Clarence Birdseye selling the first frozen peas (1952)

• Kashmir officially losing its autonomous status with India bringing it under federal control (2019)