Squiz Today – Thursday, 1 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“One hour. 200+ people. One stock room, emptied.”

Tweeted October Books in Southampton about their novel (pun intended) approach to relocating 2,000 books to its new store last weekend. Only 18,000 books to go…

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JOYCE A DAG ON SHEEP EXPORT REVIEW

THE SQUIZ
The revived leadership ambitions of former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce were dealt a blow yesterday with the release of a report into the Department of Agriculture's ability to regulate live exports. The investigation followed the death of almost 2,500 sheep on live export ship, the Awassi Express, in August last year. While not named in the report, recommendations to overturn decisions made by Joyce while he was the minister were central to the Moss Review’s advice to government.

ARE LIVE SHEEP EXPORTS GOING TO CONTINUE?
Yep. The report says the industry is a significant contributor to our economy. But it also said the community’s priority is animal welfare, and improvements have to be made. The key criticism in the review is that the department is expected to be a promoter of live exports, but also its regulator. And they haven’t been good at the regulation bit. Key will be the reestablishment of an animal welfare unit in the department and the appointment of an Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports – things Joyce walked away from when he was the minister.

DON’T BORE US, GET TO THE CHORUS
Barnaby Joyce came in for criticism yesterday. Labor said it was his decisions that led to the poor performance of the department and the terrible result for the animals. (Note: if elected, Labor is set to shut the industry down.) Joyce and others didn't say a lot about his role in it yesterday. So where is this going? With rumours that Joyce is lining up for another go at the leadership of the Nationals, it’s this sort of coverage that could count against him. Maybe former PM Malcolm Turnbull will elaborate on his former colleague’s chances when he appears on ABC TV’s Q&A?

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SQUIZ THE REST

KIDS COMING OFF NAURU
It’s been a hot topic of late, and The Australian reports this morning (paywall) that the Morrison Government will relocate all children of asylum-seekers still on Nauru to Oz by the end of the year. Some have already made it here in the last few weeks, and those requiring medical care are in hospitals around Australia. Forty children are still there and will be transferred to Australia in the coming weeks. A poll in last weekend’s Sunday Tele found 80% of respondents supported taking kids off Nauru.

DOUBLE MURDER NEAR MILDURA
Paul Cohrs, a former deputy mayor and head of a local shooting club, has been accused of killing his mother and brother following a dispute over a family property. Cohrs stands accused of shooting his brother Ray in front of a real estate agent who he'd tied up before driving an hour to his mother's home to shoot her. He then backtracked to release the real estate agent before retreating to a nearby lake and shooting himself in the chest. Cohrs is in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital. Reports say police are focusing their investigation on a four-year family dispute over money.

BULLIES AND PREDATORS TAKE CENTRE STAGE
A culture of enablement from an older generation of actors and theatre types normalised Geoffrey Rush’s inappropriate behaviour. That was was Eryn Jean Norvill summation yesterday as she continued to give evidence in Rush’s defamation case against the Daily Telegraph. She said co-star and industry doyenne Robyn Nevin was also complicit because she “saw this behaviour and didn't think there was a problem with it." Norvill’s testimony related to her time working with Rush on the 2015 Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear. The trial is set to wrap up on Friday.

TAKING YEARS OFF OUR WEIGHT
A big study (with two million participants) on the impact of not being in the healthy range of the Body Mass Index (BMI) has been released – and it’s confronting. Long story short, being over or underweight could knock about four years off life expectancy. That’s because the prevalence of disease for people outside the healthy range is higher. Which is a nice segue into our first Squiz’splains podcast released yesterday where we cover this territory. We’re so on the ball…

WHEN TOO MUCH AUSSIE IS BARELY ENOUGH
FAIR DINKUM POWER - After workshopping his new electricity comms strategy with Sydney shock jock Alan Jones, PM Scott Morrison has been keen for his ‘fair dinkum power’ plan to catch fire. In a safe way, of course. Now young billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has caught on, but perhaps not in the way Morrison was hoping…

THE BATTERED WIFE – It’s the name of a fish and chip shop owned by a woman (who is a former copper and domestic violence survivor) in Innisfail, Queensland that’s drawn debate and criticism.

VEGEMITE – Sweden, the country that can’t get enough pickled herring and pigs trotters, says Vegemite is disgusting. How very dare they…

LOVE AND DEATH ON THE EDGE
One iconic location, two very different stories about recording the moment. A happy account, and a much sadder one. These are contrasting stories from Yosemite National Park in California.

SQUIZ THE DAY

12.30pm (AEDT) - Ann Sherry, Chair of UNICEF Australia, to address the National Press Club on 'Why is there no national agenda for Australia’s children and young people? – A report to the United Nations' - Canberra

ABS Data Releases - International Trade in Goods and Services, September; International Trade Price Indexes, September

All Saints' Day

Watch out, lip hair about - Start of Movember