Squiz Today – Friday, 9 February

SQUI SAYINGS

“It’s a little reminder to me that I shouldn’t be making jokes even when I think they’re funny.”

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau says correcting a woman for saying “mankind”, not “peoplekind” was all a joke. His explanation probably has nothing to do with being internationally pilloried for being “painfully politically correct”. As you were…

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ABUSE VICTIMS TO RECEIVE AN APOLOGY

THE SQUIZ
PM Malcolm Turnbull has committed to making a national apology to survivors of child abuse by the end of this year. Described as a “milestone healing event”, the step follows a five-year-long Royal Commission into child abuse in institutional care. The inquiry, which concluded at the end of last year, found that tens of thousands of kids have been abused over decades in church and government institutions, as well as schools, and sporting and cultural clubs.

SO THAT’S IT? AN APOLOGY?
No, there’s more.

• The Royal Commission made 409 recommendations.

• Many recommendations were directed towards the institutions themselves – and the government wants them to have a response ready by June. To help coordinate the response, the government has established a taskforce.

•  The Commonwealth is also working on the recommendations it's responsible for, like strengthening the working-with-children check.

WHAT’S ELSE?
Turnbull says he’ll be talking to state and territory leaders today about signing up to a Redress Scheme. That means paying an estimated $4 billion in compensation through payments of up to $150,000 each for victims. So far some states and institutions have been reluctant to join. Labor leader Bill Shorten backed the PM’s call saying; “the time for lawyers is over, the time for justice is here."

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HELP TO BETTER UNDERSTAND CHILDHOOD NUTRITION

PRESENTED BY WOOLWORTHS

Childhood nutrition (think preventing and managing food allergies, and better understanding the impact of diet on kids' brain development and mental health) is a growing area of concern. That's why the Children’s Hospital Foundation and Woolworths have established the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research.

Woolies is pitching in $5 million over five years for research project grants in this important field. This adds to the $51 million Woolies customers have already pitched in during the organisations' 31-year-long partnership.

Click here to find out more about the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research.

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SQUIZ THE REST

CLOSING THE GAP ON INDIGENOUS INEQUALITY OFF TRACK
The Close the Gap strategy has been abandoned. That’s the damning assessment of a coalition of organisations on initiatives that were designed to improve the lives of Indigenous people. The government said the strategy was too ambitious “to the point where some were not actually achievable.” PM Turnbull will release the government’s 10-year report card on Monday.

And get ready for some Kevin Rudd action next week. The former PM’s government commenced the Close the Gap process – something he’ll talk about on Monday in an address to the National Press Club fresh from his win against the ABC.

[BLANK] BAN FOR PARLIAMENT CANVASSED
We have to avoid certain words to prevent becoming trapped in your spam filter, so have some sympathy as we attempt to unpack this one… Following the Joyce saga this week, independent MP Cathy McGowan has raised the possibility of a [blank] ban between pollies and their staff. The US House of Reps this week passed legislation banning monkey business in its corridors (and beds) of power. Neither Liberals nor Labor were enthusiastic about the idea saying it would be too unwieldy to enforce.

SOME PROGRESS IN THE WORLD
Some took a step forward this week:

• Reports say South African President Jacob Zuma is days away from resigning. He is facing extensive corruption charges and his anti-corruption campaigning replacement, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, is ready to step into the big job. Tick for South Africa.

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel is edging closer to forming a coalition government. Negotiations have dragged on since the September election. The Social Democrats’ leadership have agreed to a partnership with Merkel’s Christian Democrats, but they now have to get their 460,000 party members to agree. Almost tick for Germany.

• The US is moving closer to agreeing to a two-year government budget that increases spending by $500 billion. If the deal passes, it would conclude a dramatic and divisive negotiation period. However, Democrats are pushing Republicans to honour their kinda promise to let a group of undocumented immigrants (known as the Dreamers) stay in the US. Maybe tick for the US.

GENDER PAY GAP UNCOVERED FOR UBER DRIVERS
Female Uber drivers are earning 7% less than men. And it’s not because there’s a bias in the app’s algorithm or discriminatory management practices. It’s mainly because men drive faster. It’s also because male drivers stick with the platform longer than women – and pay increases the longer you stick with the company. One stunning stat is that 77% of women quit driving for Uber after six months compared to 65% of men. High on both scores, don't you think?

CRACK OUT YOUR GORE-TEX… WINTER OLYMPICS ARE HERE
In the lead up to the Games, it would have been easy to forget it's about some amazing athletes coming together from across the world to compete for glory on the ice and snow. The North Korean crisis has dominated coverage to date – the latest story being leader Kim Jong Un is sending his sister Kim Yo Jong to attend. No, we didn’t know he had a sister either. For those of us with more traditional Olympic tastes, here’s a rundown of the Aussie athletes to look out for. And last night snowboard halfpipe world champ Scotty James was named as our flag bearer for tonight’s opening ceremony. C'mon Aussie!

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
Sorry to start with something heavy-ish but global PR mob Edelman have released their 2018 Trust Barometer, and it's a fascinating read. We knew you were a sceptical group…

“I can’t tell you, man — what a life!” Except music legend Quincy Jones does tell us a lot in this interview. It's super unfiltered - from Michael Jackson being a song thief to who he thinks (sorry, knows...) killed President Kennedy. It's quite a read

It's been a while since we've checked in on the posh parties of the UK's rich and titled via Tatler. Check out the St Andrew’s Welly Ball. It’s like a ball where they wear… gumboots. Wild times.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday

10.00pm - PyeongChang Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony - televised on Channel 7

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in New Zealand for meetings with Deputy PM Winston Peters

Anniversary of the death of Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II (2002)

Saturday

Carnival (on until 14 February) - Brazil

Sunday

Anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town (1990)