Squiz Today – Tuesday, 4 April

THE SQUIZ

Indigenous leader Yunupingu died yesterday, aged 74yo. A giant in the fight for Indigenous rights, Yunupingu has been remembered by PM Anthony Albanese as “a leader, a statesman, a great Yolngu man and a great Australian.” Coalition leader Peter Dutton also remembered him as “one of our greatest Australians,” and Indigenous academic Marcia Langton described him as “the greatest leader this country has ever known.” A Gumatj clan leader and Yolgnu lore man, Yunupingu died surrounded by family in his home of Gunyangara, on Arnhem Land.

WHO WAS YUNUPINGU?

He became the first chairman of the powerful Northern Land Council in the 1970s, and was named Australian of the Year in 1978. In 1988, Yunupingu presented PM Bob Hawke with the Barunga Statement, which called for a treaty between Indigenous people and the Commonwealth. It still hangs in Parliament House in Canberra today. Yunupingu also guided and inspired the work of his brother’s band Yothu Yindi, and in recent years, he chaired the influential Garma Festival. That’s where Albanese made his promise to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament into our constitution last year. Yesterday, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney dedicated a future successful Voice referendum to Yunupingu, saying “his presence, his very being, will stay with us as we go forward.” And in his address to the National Press Club, Coalition spokesman Julian Leeser called him “a man of strength, conviction and determination – a true moral voice in our country.”

WHAT’S THE LATEST WITH THE VOICE?

Leeser was at the National Press Club to give an update on the Liberal Party’s approach to the referendum, in advance of a party room meeting on Wednesday to disuss the party’s position. Leeser attacked PM Albanese for a “top down” approach and said he’s “abandoned the process and the spirit of partnership.” A longtime Voice supporter, Lesser said he’s worried about the proposed 2nd clause – that it “may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”. He says it should be scrapped because it poses “the greatest risk of judicial interpretation” – aka the High Court being called in every 5 seconds to manage the government’s decisionmaking process. In response, Albanese said “I would urge people like Julian Leeser, who has a history of genuine support for reconciliation … to not just vote yes, but campaign for yes in the referendum”. 

Malka Leifer found guilty

Malka Leifer, the former principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, has been found guilty of abusing 2 sisters/former students Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper between 2003-07. Accused of 27 offences, the jury found Leifer guilty of 18 charges (note: Leifer was cleared of all charges relating to another sister Nicole Meyer and some concerning Erlich). The fight to bring Leifer to justice became an international saga when she fled Oz in 2008 after the allegations emerged, and it took more than 10 years to force her to return from Israel. Following the decision, Meyer said after their long fight “to get to this moment is absolutely overwhelming.” The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 26 April.

Will they or won’t they?

Aussie mortgage holders will be keen to see whether interest rates are hiked for an 11th consecutive time following the Reserve Bank board’s monthly meeting today. There are competing views from economists – some say we’re in for another 0.25% hike, while others believe the RBA will hold rates steady after last week’s encouraging inflation data. That, combined with an uptick in property prices, has experts turning their focus to when we might see rates start to fall with the 4 big banks predicting a cut in the next 12 months. But it’s not a guarantee we’ve reached the cash rate peak… Commonwealth Bank’s Gareth Aird says it depends on what inflation’s doing. “The RBA board can pause in April while retaining full optionality to raise the cash rate in May if the data comes in a little hotter than anticipated over the next month,” he says.

Trump prepares for court date

As former president Donald Trump touches down in New York, US media outlets are pushing for Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan to unseal the indictment documents lodged against. In a co-signed letter, they say “the right of access is at its zenith when applied to the first ever indictment of a former US president” – that is, they believe the details of Trump’s indictment are in the public interest. Top of their list is the request to broadcast his court appearance on Tuesday (scheduled for 4.15am eastern time tomorrow morning for us). Trump’s lawyers oppose the move saying it would “create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence.” It’s up to the judge to decide how best to manage his courtroom, prosecutors say. If things to to plan, by this time tomorrow Trump will have been booked, fingerprinted, and had his mugshot taken at a Manhattan courthouse. Our plan: stay hydrated and alert. It could be a big couple of days…  

Cricket hits a six-figure payday

A new 5-year pay deal proposed by Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) will see our legendary female cricketers share an increased salary pool of $133 million over 5 years in a new remuneration model set to be rolled out in July. It proposes pay rises for both male and female cricketers, but ACA boss Todd Greenberg says they particularly want to invest in the women’s game, which they believe has “enormous capacity” for growth. To break down the numbers, the current deal sees the highest-paid female players earn about $315,000 annually, but the new model could see star players like Meg Lanning earn over $1 million, along with significant raises for others. But for many others playing in the Women’s Big Bash League and Women’s National Cricket League, the average salary will be about $150,000 a year, making them the highest-paid female athletes in Oz. Talk about a victory… 

Roll to the loo my darlin’

Consumer advocacy group Choice is on a roll having rated over 30 types of toilet paper to determine the best and worst products in Australia when it comes to structural integrity, softness and disintegration time. Top of the toot tickets: Quilton’s Toilet Tissue Gold 4-ply and 25% more King size rolls with both receiving the highest score of 85%. Aldi Confidence 3-ply Extra Soft was named the best budget bog roll, receiving an overall score of 82%. Oobamboo’s Bamboo Unbleached Toilet Rolls 3 ply was rated the worst, receiving a disintegration score of 0% and an overall mark of 43%. The company was a bit crappy over the criticism, but Choice defended the test results. For those seeking planet-friendly products, look for certification from the Forest Stewardship Council and buying products in paper packaging. Now to the big question: scrunch or fold?

If you’ve ever stopped to think about whether a Tyrannosaurus rex really had big teeth (as depicted in Jurrasic Park), ponder no more. Experts say the mega dinosaur likely had ‘lizard lips’ that covered their massive chompers. Funnily enough, it’s a nickname we use for an ex… 

Speaking of looks that only a parent could love, scientists have found snailfish living at a depth of 8,336m under the sea. The deepest fish ever filmed by scientists were captured by sea robots in deep trenches off Japan last year and their bodies are described as [gag] ‘gelatinous’.  

And pity the parents who went up against one of the world’s greatest ever sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Running in a race at a school sports day in Jamaica, even her stroll leaves everyone eating her dust… 

12.30pm (AEDT) – Actress, writer and trans rights advocate, Georgie Stone, addresses the National Press Club – Canberra

The Reserve Bank holds its monthly meeting ahead of an announcement on interest rates

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue begins (until 5 April)

The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) host the 2023 national summit – Melbourne (until 5 April)

International Mine Awareness Day

World Stray Animals Day

World Rat Day

International Carrot Day

Birthdays for Hugo Weaving (1960), Graham Norton (1963) Robert Downey Jr (1965) and Natasha Lyonne (1979),

Anniversary of:
• the signing of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty in Washington, D.C. (1949)
• the founding of Microsoft (1975)
• the founding of Alibaba (1999)
• the marriage of Beyonce and Jay-Z (2008)
• Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos’ record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement (2019)