Squiz Today – 8 March 2024

The Squiz

Over a month since Victorian mother Samatha Murphy went missing, a 22yo man was yesterday charged with her murder. Ballarat Magistrates Court quickly issued a temporary suppression order to keep his identity under wraps until a full hearing can be held next month after his lawyers said “mental health issues” could arise. Police do not believe the man – said to be the son of an ex-AFL player – has a connection to the Murphy family. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton fronted the media yesterday and said police allege the murder was a “deliberate attack” on Murphy at Mount Clear on the day she disappeared. He added the accused “has not disclosed where Samantha’s body is”.

Remind me what happened?

The 51yo vanished on Sunday, 4 February, after heading off on a run at 7am – CCTV footage shows her leaving home, which is the last confirmed sighting. Her family reported her missing when she didn’t show up for brunch at around 11am. As for where she went, police say Murphy made it to the Woowookarung Regional Park. Since then, police and local community members have spent weeks scouring bushland – including at Mount Clear, about 6km from where Murphy was last seen – after mobile phone data pointed to the area. Police have not revealed whether those searches turned up any clues about her whereabouts, but investigators have reviewed 12,000 hours of CCTV footage and followed up over 500 pieces of information. Last month, police said it was “very doubtful” she was still alive. 

How is her family going?

Murphy’s husband Mick says he felt “relief” after hearing about the murder charge and that it’s “like someone’s just let the pressure valve off”. Yesterday, Patton said police recognised the “profound impact” of the case on the Ballarat community and reiterated calls for the public to come forward with any information as “any little clue could be vital”. He says investigators are now “going even harder to find a body”. Murphy’s father John Robson said “I can only hope that he is the bloke responsible because that way, we might get a bit of closure”.

A decade on from a disaster

Today marks 10 years since Malaysian Airlines flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur before disappearing mid-journey, never to be seen again. To refresh your memory: the plane took a sharp turn about an hour into its flight, and officials presume that it ran out of fuel somewhere over the Indian Ocean – waaay off its original course – before crashing into the sea, killing all 239 people on board, including 7 Aussies/residents. Despite the biggest search operation in aviation history, the closest we have to answers are the pieces of debris that washed up in 2015 and 2016. But that might be about to change, with 2 private companies proposing to search a new area of the Indian Ocean for the plane’s wreckage. Malaysia’s transport minister, Anthony Loke, said, “The government is steadfast in our resolve to locate MH370.”

This week’s Squiz Shortcut is on the disappearance of MH370. We cover the evidence that’s come to light since, plus some of the theories about the disappearance…

Language games

Yesterday, we picked up the new details on Sam Kerr’s alleged racial altercation with a British cop, including the language she allegedly used… Some Kerr fans on social media were not at all fazed by it, and NSW Premier Chris Minns said that if he were called the same thing, he wouldn’t consider it racist – a comment at least one MP objected to. The Matildas’ captain’s club, Chelsea, says she has their “full support” during this “difficult time”. Elsewhere in potty-mouth news, the Roosters’ Spencer Leniu has apologised for using a racist slur against Broncos player Ezra Mam during their Las Vegas match over the weekend. “I want to apologise to Ezra and his family for using the word I did,” Leniu said. He is facing a long suspension when the NRL judiciary meets to consider the complaint on Tuesday night.

No equality, no contract

To mark today’s International Women’s Day, federal Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher has served up some new strategies designed to push the private sector towards gender equality. One biggie is that companies with 500 employees or more would be required to hit gender targets before getting any government contract – and with around $70 billion spent on such contracts, Gallagher said the new rule will help ensure “women are getting a fairer slice”. She also announced that parents will get 12% super on any publicly-funded parental leave, with the change kicking in from July next year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says it will help women “keep more of what they earn, and retire with more as well.” Reading a bit more on this could be the special thing you do to mark IWD – the government’s entire gender equality strategy is here. Or maybe Barbie’s more your thing… 

Flying fur babies

Animal lovers could soon expand their travel plans as Virgin Australia prepares to start allowing pet owners to take their fur babies on domestic flights within the next 12 months. The airline says it’s waiting for regulatory approval – if allowed, it would bring Oz into line with the US, where pets have been permitted in the cabins for many years. But before you get too excited, Great Danes need not apply because only “small” cats and dogs will be allowed, and they’ll have to stay inside an approved pet carrier under the seat in front of the owner for the whole flight. They’ll also be limited to designated rows to minimise the impact on people who have allergies/aren’t keen. And don’t worry, Virgin has reassured people that there won’t be any snakes on planes…

A cheesy/stinky problem

Forget stockpiling toilet paper or tinned beans – we expect supermarkets to be hit by Camembert fans after a French study warns that the soft/mild cheese might be facing a supply crisis. The warnings have to do with dwindling populations of the Penicillium camemberti fungus that’s used in production to give the cheese its white rind and funky smell. Scientists say the mould isn’t reproducing at the rate it needs to. The study is only into French moulds, so we’re not sure if the fab Aussie producers are facing similar fungal issues… But either way, we reckon the French ought to cancel the Paris Olympics and deal with this, stat…

We reckon Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood* Kiwi-based thriller is worth a read. She won the Booker Prize in 2013 with The Luminaries, and she brings her rich characters and love of plot to her latest novel.

And music lovers might also be interested in Think Twice, a history podcast about Michael Jackson’s life and legacy. It’s fair and factual and brings you into the moments that defined the megastar – plus, it’s really well made…

Now that we’re talking about French cheese, it has us wanting a weekend nosh, and we reckon this baked Camembert recipe is just about the best way to chow down on the dairy…

*If you buy this or another book using this link, The Squiz might get a small commission.

9.00am (AEDT) – Men’s cricket – 2nd Test of Australia v New Zealand – Christchurch 

1.00pm (ACDT) – Lowitja O’Donoghue’s State Funeral – Adelaide

International Women’s Day

10th anniversary of the disappearance of flight MH370 

Birthdays for The Squiz (we turned 7) and actors Freddie Prinze Jr (1976) and James Van Der Beek (1977)

Anniversary of:

• Henry VIII being recognised as supreme head of Church in England (1531)

• the founding of the New York Stock Exchange (1817)

• the marriage of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis (1952)

• the disappearance of flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew onboard (2014)