Squiz Today – Thursday, 16 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"I called in gay to work today.”

Said same-sex marriage supporter Janis Atkinson. And it’s not a stretch to assume there’ll be a bit of that today… with the addition of a post-celebration headache.

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YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!

THE SQUIZ
Actually it's 7.82 million times yes. That's the number of Australians who voted ‘Yes’ to changing our marriage laws to include same-sex couples. Some other key stats:

• 79.5% of eligible Australians voted – 61.6% voted Yes; 38.4% voted No.

• All state and territories recorded a majority Yes vote. The ACT recorded the highest Yes vote at 74%, NSW the lowest at 57.8%.

• Seventeen electorates out of 150 voted No - two in Victoria, three in Queensland and 12 in NSW. SA, WA, Tassie, NT and the ACT recorded a majority Yes vote in all electorates.

• Western and South-West Sydney voted No – experts say that reflects the areas’ ethnic population. Nine of those seats are held by Labor MPs who are expected to vote Yes in the parliament.

• Regarding participation: more women (81.6%) responded to the survey than men (77.3%). The 70-74yo age category were the best responders (89%+), and the 20-24yo category was the least engaged (but still recorded a strong 71%).

WHAT DID PEOPLE SAY?
PM Malcolm Turnbull - “The Australian people have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly ‘yes’ for marriage equality. They voted ‘yes’ for fairness. They voted ‘yes’ for commitment. They voted ‘yes’ for love."

Labor leader Bill Shorten - "Australians have voted for a generous view of themselves, for a modern Australia, where diversity is accepted, supported and respected.”

Former PM and No campaigner Tony Abbott – “I congratulate the 'yes' campaign on their achievement. The people have spoken and, of course, the parliament should respect the result.”

Alex Greenwich, co-chair of the Marriage Equality Campaign - "Getting to this point has not been easy, but rarely in your life can you celebrate with such pride overcoming adversity to make history."

Lyle Shelton, No campaigner – “I think there are millions of Australians who still believe that marriage is between one man and one woman and that is a public good, and there may be a time in the future when we can persuade our fellow Australians to that position once again."

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
You mean besides the wedding industry going completely berserk? Pollies on both sides of the question have committed to a quick legislative process. That means the ‘Dean Smith’ bill, which was introduced into the Senate yesterday arvo, will need to be debated, possibly amended, and passed by the parliament before Christmas. And then it has to be ticked off by the Governor-General Peter Cosgrove for it to be enacted into law. The hope is all that will be done by the end of the year. And then there will be some weddings to attend and gift registers to navigate.

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PREPARING FOR THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE

PRESENTED BY COMMONWEALTH BANK

The Commonwealth Bank has done some research and half of us don't think kids today will have the skills to meet the rapidly changing jobs market. As some bloke called Bill Shakespeare wrote; "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." So whether there's a career change in the wind for yourself, or you're thinking about your young person's education options, you need some clear information about what the future looks like.

Check out the Commonwealth Bank's Jobs and Skills of the Future Report here. 

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SQUIZ THE REST

MUGABE UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Zimbabwe's military forces have taken control of the country but it's not yet clear if it’s a coup or a heavy-handed attempt to prevent President Robert Mugabe from handing over power to his wife Grace. There are reports of tanks on the streets and soldiers have taken control of the country’s public broadcaster and presidential residence. Military spokesman Major General SB Moyo said Mugabe and his family were “safe and sound and their security is guaranteed” and that they were targeting criminals around Mugabe. Experts say it’s about last week’s sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa and concerns that Grace Mugabe would be a corrupt and incompetent leader.

MORE POLITICAL UPSETS IN THE HIGH COURT
Yesterday, senator-in-waiting Hollie Hughes was ruled ineligible to take former Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash's place in the federal parliament. Hughes, a Liberal, was next on the NSW Coalition ticket. It's a little complicated, but her issue isn't citizenship related. The High Court said her acceptance of a role with the government’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal after the election means she can't take the seat. The hits just keep on coming… It’s expected that Jim Molan, a former commander of Allied troops in Iraq and Tony Abbott supporter, will take up the Senate spot. Fun fact: he’s the father of Erin Molan, the Channel Nine sports presenter.

US SCHOOL MASSACRE PREVENTED
A potential mass shooting at a Californian school was prevented yesterday after teachers acted quickly to lock him out. The local man then fired into the school hitting and injuring one child. The shooter was killed by police but not before he killed four others in the town of Rancho Tehama. It's understood the man was free on bail and there are reports that the rampage was sparked by an argument with a neighbour.

STAGNANT WAGES MAKE IT HARD TO GET AHEAD
With the latest wages growth stats showing a pay increase of just 0.5% in the July-September quarter and 2% for the year, it's unlikely we'll see an interest rate increase anytime soon. The Bureau of Stats says the small increase was due to enterprise agreement increases, end-of-financial-year wage bumps and the Fair Work Commission's annual minimum wage review. At that rate, it’s hard to accumulate wealth. Investment bank Credit Suisse has a report on that. It found that North America and Europe account for 64% of total household wealth and that half the world’s wealth is owned by just 1% of the population. Staggering.

SOCCEROOS ARE OFF TO THE WORLD CUP
If you happen to be a same-sex-marriage-supporting-Aussie-soccer-fan, yesterday might just have been the single best day of your life. Pulling off a victory that sees them book a berth in next year’s World Cup in Russia, the Socceroos defeated Honduras 3-1 before 77,000 fans in Sydney last night. A couple of goals from their spectacularly hirsute captain Mile Jedinak sealed the deal for the Socceroos. The lads will be pulling on the green and gold with the world’s best when the World Cup kicks off in Putin-land next June. Go you good things!

And while we have you… The Women’s Rugby League World Cup kicks off today. It’s a six-team contest and the Aussie Jillaroos are looking good to retain the title. We take on the Cook Islands today in the first round. The men's and women's World Cup finals will be played as a double-header in Brissie on 2 December.

BEHOLD NEW YORK’S FINEST
To the singletons out there – we know that all this talk about marriage might have made you a bit wistful about finding your someone special. So we searched high and low and this is the best piece of inspiration we could come up with. Sure, a New York City cabbie might not have been in your top 10 (or top 1 million…). But it’s tough going out there and at least you wouldn’t be stuck for conversation. Or on the other hand, it might make you think that being on your own isn't such a bad thing after all. Either way, you're winning. Enjoy!

SQUIZ THE DAY

4.00pm (AEDT) - Women's Rugby League World Cup - Australia v Cook Islands - Sydney

Annual General Meetings - BHP; Commonwealth Bank; Harvey Norman; Seven Group; Wesfarmers

International Day of Tolerance

World Pancreatic Cancer Day - pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 8% in Australia. Check out how you can support the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation in its efforts to double survival rates by 2020