Squiz Today – Thursday, 10 June

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“I’m definitely not unfulfilled because the journey itself has been tremendously fulfilling.”

Said outgoing Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley who announced his semi-surprise departure from the club that he played and coached with for more than 20 years - without tasting premiership success. Hot tip: a line's being spun when there’s a double negative involved……

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MELBOURNE BREATHES OUT AS NSW/QUEENSLAND SHARPLY INHALE

THE SQUIZ
Melburnians will be able to roam further from tomorrow with officials confirming the state’s 4th lockdown will ease with one new case reported yesterday. There are new rules, but the key point is locals will be able to get out and about whenever they choose but will need to stay within 25km of home. And the Melbourne/regional divide is set to remain in place for another week. Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it’s the right approach because COVID cases are still being reported. "So we absolutely have to drive back down to zero,” he said. A bit happy but not totally stoked was Victorian Chamber of Commerce boss Paul Guerra. He said after a fortnight of closures, they’d hoped for more restrictions to be lifted to “keep jobs, businesses, livelihoods, culture and prosperity alive in Victoria." And just like that, attention was diverted to NSW and Queensland…

BECAUSE OF STATE OF ORIGIN?
Yes, but that’s not what we’re referring to… Officials yesterday said a 44yo woman from Melbourne who had driven with her husband to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast over a few days last week has tested positive for the virus. Taking several days to make their way through western NSW, the pair crossed the Queensland border at Goondiwindi on Saturday. The state’s police said it was “too early” to say whether they had committed any breaches when they left Melbourne’s lockdown and went interstate. Officials have urged locals on their route to check the list of exposure sites (and here it is for Queensland and NSW) and they renewed their vaccination call.

WHAT WILL I GET WHEN I’M VACCINATED?
You mean besides the gratitude of the majority of Australians? You’ll get a certificate. Not one that you can frame, but a digital certificate that Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds yesterday said would make your vaccination status “accessible anytime, anywhere.” How and where it will be required is a whole chapter in our COVID story that’s yet to unfold. But reports say some businesses are keen to have a way to check their staff/customers’ vax status so they can provide rewards to those who have had the jab. Because that’s a totally normal thing to do in the 2020s…

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SQUIZ THE REST

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JAPAN ONBOARD WITH CHINA CONCERNS

As PM Scott Morrison heads to the UK via Singapore today to meet up with the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies at the G7 leaders summit in Cornwall, he’ll have a friend when it comes to the discussions about China’s push for power. Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton had a call with their Japanese counterparts Motegi Toshimitsu and Kishi Nobuo yesterday and agreed that China’s “coercive and destabilising behaviour in the region” was concerning. As China’s neighbour, Japan has been in a tricky spot for maintaining good relations, but pundits say Tokyo has decided to join a push against President Xi Jinping's agenda. Yesterday, Morrison said our region was "the epicentre of renewed strategic competition”, which is a fancy way of saying that dealing with China’s ambitions is an issue. All of which sets the scene for discussions in the UK over the weekend when the US chips in.

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KEEPING IT PROFESSIONAL

That is what’s going on between former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith and one of his lawyers, his barrister Arthur Moses said yesterday. Why is this a thing? Federal Court Justice Robert Bromwich yesterday said he was “uncomfortable” with media reports that Roberts-Smith “was in a personal relationship" with his solicitor Monica Allen. That's because he said it could complicate proceedings - including against his ex Emma Roberts over leaked confidential documents. Moses said that “female lawyers have enough to deal with in this profession without these aspersions being put against them” and later said the pair “are not in a relationship, full stop.” The episode put paid to Roberts-Smith’s first day of evidence in his defamation case against Nine Entertainment over a series of articles alleging he committed war crimes in Afghanistan. It’s expected he’ll kick off today.

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SHOWING MICE THE CHEESE

Not a delicious cheddar, but cash. And no, the NSW Government isn’t paying the many mice across the state to disappear... It yesterday stumped up $100 million to help communities and businesses affected by the mouse plague, including via a 50% rebate of up to $10,000 on bait purchases for farmers. The funding is on top of last month’s $50 million support package and follows calls from farmers groups and the CSIRO for more assistance with experts warning the plague will continue to eat into livelihoods despite a winter cold snap. While there are hopes the high-strength baits will help curb rodent numbers, conservation groups are worried about their use after reports emerged of mass bird deaths in Parkes last week. Experts say there is some overlap of areas where the government wants to lay potent baits with the known locations of threatened bird species. Nothing’s simple…

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TOPPING THE WORLD’S MOST LIVEABLE CITY LIST...

...is Auckland in New Zealand, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index. It pushed Austria’s capital Vienna - which has won every year since 2018 - out of the top 10, thanks to the Kiwis’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Wellington took out 4th place. Also faring well were Japan and Switzerland, with Osaka and Tokyo coming in 2nd and 5th, and Zurich and Geneva ranking 7th and 8th. So what’s Australia’s most liveable city? Can we get a whoop whoop for Adelaide - it rose from 10th place to 3rd, while Perth and Brisbane came in 6th and 10th respectively. Taking a tumble: Melbourne (dropping from 2nd to 9th place - thanks COVID…) and Sydney (falling from 3rd to 11th - thanks property prices...). The least livable city in the world - Damascus in Syria.

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BLUES CRUSH THE MAROONS

And by crush, we mean NSW scored their biggest ever victory over Queensland, taking out the first game of the series 50-6. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian probably had a 2nd Coke No Sugar in celebration of her state's 8 tries with returning centre Tom Trbojevic diving over the line 3 times, earning him man-of-the-match status. That compared to the Sunshine State’s single try thanks to Kurt Capewell with the NSW defence punishing every mistake the home team made as it tried to score. Commentators say it’s a little unfair calling out the best on ground for NSW with every player stepping up. Even Queensland league demigod Wally Lewis said it was "as good a performance as I’ve seen from NSW", which is super high praise from him… Meanwhile, Queensland coach Paul Green said his troops were “embarrassed”. Queensland will have a chance at redemption in Brisbane in game 2 of the series on Sunday, 27 June.

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APROPOS OF NOTHING - FROM SUBLIME TO RIDICULOUS

Italian master Raphael was commissioned by Pope Leo X to design a set of life-size tapestries to adorn the Sistine Chapel in 1514. It's 500 years later, and all of a sudden, the pigeons are taking an interest.

Notable car auctions seem to be our jam right now - and Princess Diana’s 1981 Ford Escort surely has to get more than the $55,000-75,000 being suggested when it goes under the hammer on 29 June?

Oh, Crocs. You never fail to disappoint... It’s a new collaboration with iconic design house Balenciaga that’s generously described as a “high-heeled and rainboot style”. Price: about US$1,000…

SQUIZ THE DAY

6.12pm (AEST) - The ‘Ring of Fire’ annular solar eclipse

PM Scott Morrison to visit Singapore en route to G7 Meeting in the UK

And it would have been Prince Philip's 100th birthday...

Anniversary of:
• the first victim of the Salem witch trials being hanged for witchcraft in Massachusetts (1692)
• the Myall Creek Massacre, which saw 28 Indigenous Australians murdered (1838)
• the birthdays of Judy Garland (1922)
• the launch of the Spirit Rover, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission (2003)
• the death of Ray Charles (2004)