Squiz Today / 21 October 2019
Squiz Today – Monday, 21 October
SQUIZ SAYINGS
“I’ve never been inducted before, I hope it doesn’t hurt.”
Said Aussie entertainment industry mainstay Doug Mulray of his elevation to commercial radio legend status at the industry's annual awards on Saturday night. Also of note, 2GB’s Erin Molan & Natalie Peters won best metro-AM radio team, the first female duo to receive the gong.
EVERYBODY NEEDS GOOD NEIGHBOURS
THE SQUIZ
PM Scott Morrison travelled to Jakarta to attend President Joko Widodo’s inauguration last night following his election win in April. Not just there for a party, Morrison met with Widodo yesterday to discuss growing cooperation between our nations. That includes the implementation of a free trade agreement that looks set to progress through our parliament this week after Labor indicated its support for it in defiance of union opposition. Morrison also said he was happy to be there to support Widodo, a former furniture salesman, as a leader he admired. “He has the best smile of any leader, I think, in the world today,” Morrison said yesterday.
THAT’S SWEET. WHAT’S THE INAUGURATION ABOUT?
It's a big 'un. More than 30,000 police and military personnel were deployed to lock down the event because of security concerns. That follows the stabbing of Security Minister Wiranto by a suspected Islamic State supporter at a public event earlier this month. And there have been big protests over proposals to weaken Indonesia's anti-corruption commission, and a raft of changes to the national criminal code. So, after a day of pomp and ceremony to mark his second term of government, Widodo has those plus a bunch of other challenges to navigate…
SPEAKING OF… WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WEST PAPUA?
Morrison said he raised with Widodo in their meeting yesterday the treatment of people in West Papua. He also said it was an issue for Indonesia to resolve, and he was confident Widodo would do just that. The question was raised given the territory's longstanding push for independence and months of unrest with angry protests fuelled by claims of racism by Indonesians against indigenous Papuans. Reports earlier this month said diplomats and journalists have been denied access to the troubled region, making an outside assessment of the situation difficult.
West Papua is on our doorstep, and its push for independence from Indonesia is something many Squizers wanted to know a bit more about. Never fear, a Squiz Shortcut is here…
SQUIZ THE REST
BREXIT - SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR…
UK PM Boris Johnson hasn’t been able to translate his European Union victory into a winning streak. Despite securing agreement from EU leaders for his revised Brexit plan late last week, the UK Parliament has again voted down the deal. And with the agreed Brexit date of 31 October just around the corner, Johnson was required to write to the EU requesting (another) time extension, which he did - but he didn’t sign the letter. He did, however, put his autograph on an accompanying note saying he believes a delay would be a mistake. Like a friend who's caught up in a quarrel between an unhappily married couple, EU Council President Donald Tusk said he would consult his stakeholders "on how to react". Awkward… Next stop: back to parliament, and possibly the courts.
TURKEY TALKS TOUGH
Following Turkey’s agreement to a five-day ceasefire to allow the Syrian Kurds to retreat from a 30km “safety zone” along the border, both sides have accused the other of violating the deal. Talking tough in a national address, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if Kurdish fighters did not honour the agreement to withdraw by Tuesday evening, "we will start where we left off and continue to crush the terrorists' heads". Erdogan will travel to Sochi on Tuesday to discuss the situation with President Vladamir Putin.
We've got a Squiz Shortcut on this one too. It's a 10-minute listen that will ensure you start Monday at the top of the well-informed tree...
ANOTHER WEEK OF OZ PARLIAMENT
This week it’s just the House of Reps in session with our Senators tied up with Estimates - aka their regular grilling of our public servants. Still getting significant airplay is the government’s response to the drought. Labor leader Anthony Albanese yesterday pushed his plan for a cross-party 'war cabinet', but PM Morrison yesterday said he wasn’t into it. Also hard for our pollies to miss today is the 'Your Right To Know' campaign that’s plastered across many of the nation’s front pages highlighting what the major media organisations say are government infringements on press and whistleblower freedoms. And there’s a new Newspoll that shows little change since the last one. The Coalition maintains its 51:49 two-party preferred lead over Labor. One notable difference is Morrison lost three points in the better PM race, but still holds a tidy lead over Albanese 47:32.
A TRIO OF BESTS
FLYING HIGH - A direct flight from New York to Sydney was completed yesterday after 19 hours and 42 minutes in the air. It was the world's longest non-stop flight made by a commercial airliner. And it was a memorable one for the 49 passengers and crew members on board…
WHAT A VIEW - And what a price tag… The record for Australia’s most expensive residential real estate was smashed on Saturday with an Australian purchaser bagging a two-storey Sydney penthouse for a cool $140 million.
GLASS MORE THAN HALF-FULL - And the winner of Australia’s best tasting tap-water is from the Marian Water Treatment Plant in Mackay, northern Queensland. Who needs a European glacier/mountain spring?
A TOUGH WEEKEND FOR THE AUSSIES
After a crushing defeat in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika appealed to the press pack to “think about peoples’ feelings for a minute. Just chill.” But the 40-16 loss to England saw fans and commentators far from chillaxed with calls for Cheika and the senior management of Rugby Australia to depart after troubled times. And they didn’t have to wait long - Cheika announced last night he was on the way out after five years in the coach’s box. Also going down, but by a much tighter margin, were the Aussie Diamonds. They lost 54-53 to New Zealand’s Silver Ferns in the third game of netball’s Constellation Cup with the final minutes described as an emotional rollercoaster. But all is not lost. Though we trail in the series 2-1, an Aussie win in the last game in Perth next Sunday will see us retain the title.
A REALITY CHECK ON BEING ROYAL
Hearts broke around the world watching this clip of the Duchess of Sussex talking about the pressure she’s been under that’s made her feel “really vulnerable”, particularly as a new mum. Asked by the reporter if she's coping under the heavy weight of public scrutiny, she responded; "Thank you for asking. Not many people have asked if I'm okay, but it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” And Prince Harry said every camera flash takes him "straight back" to the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Geez... Reports say the new family will take some time off at the end of the year to spend time between the UK and US. The full interview from their recent trip to Africa airs in the UK this morning our time.
SQUIZ THE DAY
Annual General Meetings - Stockland; WorleyParsons
Canada’s general election
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu turns 70yo
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