Squiz Today – Friday, 15 December

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“These people make the country a beautiful place.”

Said Glenlee farmer Rodney Pohlner. Get your tissues out… His community rallied to get his harvest sorted out as his wife Deb, just in her mid-40s, comes to the end of her fight against cancer. Sad, but also a beautiful story about how great people can be.

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LANDMARK INQUIRY INTO CHILD ABUSE WRAPS UP

THE SQUIZ
A “national tragedy” that is still occurring is how Peter McClellan, chair of the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child abuse, described what has been uncovered during five years of investigation. The final hearing, attended by both PM Malcolm Turnbull and Labor leader Bill Shorten, concluded yesterday and the 44-volume final report will be released today. Thousands of people called, wrote and spoke in person to the Royal Commission resulting in 2,500 referrals being made to authorities. Many of them also wrote a Message to Australia in a book that was tabled yesterday.

JUST GO BACK A LITTLE…
The Royal Commission was announced by then PM Julia Gillard in November 2012. It followed reports of the cover-up of widespread abuse of children by Catholic priests in Newcastle in NSW and Ballarat in Victoria. It was initially meant to run for two years but was inundated by people wanting to tell their stories.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ITS FINDINGS?
More than 4,000 individual institutions from across the country were reported to the commission as places where abuse occurred. And clearly, institutional child abuse is not simply a historic problem. Children as young as seven-years-old gave evidence to the Royal Commission. More than 4,700 complaints were made against the Catholic church, and there were 1,100 complaints against the Anglican church. Reports say the commission estimated the cost of a compensation scheme for 60,000 abuse victims at $4.3 billion with payments to victims capped at $150,000. But tomorrow we’ll know more about the final recommendations and after that, how the government and institutions will respond.

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SQUIZ THE REST

BENNELONG BY-ELECTION DOWN TO THE WIRE
Yay, the Bennelong by-election is here! Said no one ever, particularly if you live in the Sydney electorate. Campaigning yesterday was interesting with a cranky candidate, mysterious letters, questionable campaigning techniques and alleged real estate problems. But if you’re a political tragic (or just plain tragic like us…) you’ll be looking forward to a frantic couple of days before the results are in on Saturday night. The result is likely to be too close for Malcolm Turnbull’s liking. He needs Coalition incumbent/former tennis great John Alexander to keep his seat against the challenger, former NSW Labor Premier Kristina Keneally. As you know, we like to pair our election results viewing with a drink – this time we’ll go for a nice glass of bubbles. Very North Shore.

MAY SUFFERS SIGNIFICANT BREXIT DEFEAT
The UK’s decision to leave the European Union continues to be a complicated nightmare for UK PM Theresa May. A key piece of legislation, the EU Withdrawal Bill, was defeated in the British parliament after members of May's Conservatives party voted against it. Long story short, the bill gave the executive government the ability to formally withdraw from the EU in March 2019, but MPs say they want to have the last word via a statutory vote. If you were May wouldn’t you be secretly hoping your colleagues would roll you soon? But there she was, with a smile on her dial for meetings in Brussels saying everything would be just fine...

SALMA HAYEK ADDS HER VOICE TO ANTI-WEINSTEIN CHORUS
Another day, another allegation of horrendous conduct by Harvey Weinstein. Actress Salma Hayek yesterday told of her experiences working with the disgraced movie producer, including threats and harassment, and demands for nudity in the script. Weinstein says her version of events is incorrect. And Super Size Me doco-maker Morgan Spurlock put up his hand yesterday for being “part of the problem”. It comes as website Rotten Apples was launched yesterday. The site gives you the ability to search a film or TV show for connections to those accused of harassment or worse.

QUICK BUSINESS NEWS WRAP
DISNEY BUYS A LARGE PART OF 21ST CENTURY FOX – It’s a A$68 billion deal that will see Disney take on Fox’s movie studios and entertainment cable channels. The Murdoch family controlled Fox will retain its news and sport broadcasting assets. The end game for Disney is directly distributing and streaming its own content. Rupert Murdoch said he’s not retreating, he’s “pivoting at a pivotal moment”.

BP DENIED WOOLIES PETROL - A year after the announcement that Woolies wanted to sell its petrol retail business to BP for $1.8 billion, the competition and consumer regulator yesterday said ‘no deal’. The ACCC is worried the transfer of 530+ petrol stations to another large operator will lessen competition and result in higher prices at the bowser. BP said it’ll likely take it to court.

MYER STRUGGLES - Embattled department store chain Myer yesterday issued a profit warning after sales dipped by 5% in the first two weeks of December compared to the same period last year. That sound you can hear? It’s Solomon Lew plotting his next move…

PERTH TEST MATCH FIX
Cricket Australia and the ICC say there’s nothing in it but will take seriously allegations of attempts to fix parts of the third Ashes Test, which kicked off in Perth yesterday. UK paper The Sun yesterday released footage and reports of bookmakers and fixers in India and Dubai discussing the sale of information about allegedly rigged periods of play. One of the key players in the plan is the 'Silent Man’ - apparently a former Australian cricketer. Worst code name ever. The Sun has handed over a dossier which is being investigated by cricket authorities.

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
US mag Vanity Fair’s anti-Trump fervour is well known. On an almost daily basis, they have taken aim at the US President with great enthusiasm. But this critique takes the cake…

This will be the last instalment of our UK Christmas ads series… An analysis of social media chatter showed Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot is the king of 2017. Not far behind was Boots’ ‘show them you know them’ ad. We’re still on Team Paddington Bear with Marks and Spencer’s effort.

Just in case your Christmas is getting out of control and you're thinking of fleeing the country, here are some destination ideas. If you need to stay closer to home, The Bower in Byron Bay looks gorgeous.

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SQUIZ EXTRAS

WITH

Need a great gift idea? Well check this out (*does Sale of the Century style reveal*)... Palace Cinemas are offering Squiz subscribers 20% off their gift cards. Amazing! The card can be redeemed for movie tix, quality food and drink, barista-made coffee, handmade choc tops, great cocktails and delicious popcorn popped in olive oil. Mmmm. This offer is open until Monday evening (18 December) to get your cards delivered by Christmas. Just use the coupon code SQUIZ EXTRAS at the online checkout to redeem your discount to #seeitinstyle.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday

Final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse to be handed to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove

Annual General Meetings - National Australia Bank; Orica

Third anniversary of the Sydney Lindt Cafe Siege

International Tea Day

Saturday

Day of Reconciliation in South Africa

Victory Day in India and Bangladesh

Sunday

50th anniversary of former PM Harold Holt's disappearance while swimming at Cheviot Beach in Victoria