Squiz Today – Monday, 9 April

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“To overcome a spider phobia - or any phobia for that matter - people need to learn that they can tolerate anxiety and fear. Exposure therapy is the only scientifically supported treatment for phobias and it works quickly.”

Said Associate Professor Melissa Norberg from Macquarie University of a survey that found the creepy crawlies are our biggest fear. As for the therapy, you can count us out...

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DEALING WITH THE CHILDREN OF AUSSIE TERRORISTS

THE SQUIZ
Labor leader Bill Shorten yesterday reiterated his view that the kids of Islamic State fighters who left to fight as extremist Islamic militants should be allowed to return to Australia. “I do think that any parent who took their children to a war zone is a shocker, not worth the title parent. But the kids didn’t do this,” he said. That puts Labor and the Coalition in agreement on what’s become a pressing issue following the defeat is Islamic State in Syria.

BACK IT UP A BIT…
Reports on the weekend said there are at least 43 Australians in refugee camps or detention in Syria, and there are expectations more will be identified in the coming weeks and months. The Australian (paywall) said on the weekend that number includes at least 40 women and children - 27 of whom are aged under 18yo. That includes the children of Khaled Sharrouf and Tara Nettleton - Zaynab (17yo) Hoda (16yo) and Humzeh (8yo). Zaynab is said to be eight months pregnant with her third child and there are fears for her health. (Rewind: Khaled Sharrouf was the Australian face of Islamic extremism in Syria after he distributed a photo of one of his now-deceased sons holding a severed head.)

WHAT’S MORRISON AND CO SAID?
He says the Australian Government would cooperate to help bring the children of IS terrorists back to Australia. That is, we are working with aid agencies in Syria to bring these children home, but we're not sending representatives there to make it happen. That’s because there is a view that Australian lives should not be put at risk to help people who have - directly or indirectly - aligned themselves with IS.

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SQUIZ THE REST

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WELCOME TO THE CLAYTON’S CAMPAIGN...

It’s the election campaign you have when you’re not having an election campaign… PM Scott Morrison defied the expectations of many political watchers and didn’t officially call a start to the election campaign on the weekend. But for all intents and purposes, they’re into it. In the latest polling:

• Newspoll has some happy post-Budget tidings for Morrison with the Coalition improving two points - however, it still trails Labor 48:52 in the two-party preferred race.

• The Sydney Morning Herald/Age Ipsos poll has the Coalition trailing Labor by 47:53 in two-party terms.

• And things don’t look great for former PM Tony Abbott in his seat of Warringah with reports yesterday saying he is in a “diabolically bad” position against Independent candidate Zali Steggall.

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ROYAL COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES A GO

And it’s a biggie… PM Morrison announced that the inquiry into the abuse and neglect of Australians using disability services would take three years and has been allocated $528 million. It won't just look into the misdeeds of the past - it will also investigate the National Disability Insurance Scheme and its application going forward. Referencing his brother-in-law Garry Warren, who has multiple sclerosis, Morrison choked up. “This is so above politics I can't tell you,” he said. Labor supports the commission. And the Greens’ Senator Jordan Steele-John initially said "This is one of the most happy days of my life," before calling on two of the commissioners to step down because they had worked in the sector in the past.

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RWANDA REMEMBERS

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and international representatives including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker have marked the 25th anniversary of 1994’s genocide that killed 800,000 people. The killing of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus started when Hutu extremists blamed a Tutsi rebel group for the downing of a plane carrying the then-president. It remains a blight on the record of the international community which did little to stop it. Rwandans will mourn for 100 days - the time it took for 10% of the country to be massacred.

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PRINCE WILLIAM GETS SPOOKY

Who knew there was a royal work experience program? Well, there is, and Prince William was praised by the anonymous head of counter-terrorism in the UK's intelligence and security organisation for asking good questions and demonstrating a "real grasp of our mission" during his three-week placement with their spooks. (Which is far better than our placement with a regional physiotherapy service where the best feedback we got related to punctuality…) "Humbling" was how Wills described the experience.

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THE BEZOS DIVORCE SETTLEMENT...

...has made MacKenzie Bezos, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the third richest woman in the world. She keeps a 4% stake in the retailing and services juggernaut valued at US$35 billion (A$49.2 billion). Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 (a year after their marriage), and MacKenzie was one of its first employees. He retains his title of the richest man in the world post-divorce with an estimated fortune of US$110 billion (A$154.7 billion). She tweeted her gratefulness.

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AN ASSAULT ON ALL THAT’S DECENT

Supermarket retailers call it a “modern-day twist” on a traditional favourite. Others call it an “abomination”. We’re talking flavoured Hot Cross Buns. Banana and Caramel. White Chocolate and Raspberry. Woolies has even turned it into an ice-cream. Who’s to blame? Millennials. Which seems a bit unfair, but let’s go with that…

SQUIZ THE DAY

ANZ Job Advertisements Survey

Kidney Health Week

Birthdays for Robin Wright (1966) and Patricia Arquette (1968)

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