Squiz Today – Wednesday, 17 November

THE SQUIZ

The search for 3yo William Tyrrell’s remains yesterday focused on the home in Kendall on NSW’s mid-north coast where he was last seen. Digging up shrubs, soil and the garden bed underneath the verandah at the family member’s former property, police are working on the theory that William fell from the balcony and his body was taken to another location. In 2 nearby areas, police and the Rural Fire Service are clearing the ground for inspection by cadaver dogs and experts. It adds to news that William’s foster parents have been identified as persons of interest and that police have taken out an apprehended violence order against them following an alleged assault on a child. Reports last night said William’s sister, who is now 11yo, has been removed from their care. 

GEEZ THAT’S A LOT… 

And clearly there’s a lot more to go. But one thing that came through yesterday is the sense of confidence from the state’s most senior police officer that investigators are finally on the right track. Speaking to Sydney radio station 2GB yesterday, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said that he is “confident that the team who has the investigation at the moment can solve it.” And he didn’t mince words about missteps made by those previously in charge of the case. “The investigation was looking at some persons of interest that were clearly not and I think some time was wasted on that, and bushland is overgrown,” he said. “But a new team on-board … inherited what was a bit of a mess and have cleaned up that investigation.”

WHAT’S THAT ABOUT? 

Those in the know say it’s a jab at former detective/turned podcaster Gary Jubelin. He was the high-profile face of the investigation until, in 2019, he lost his job and was convicted of making illegal phone recordings. Last night, Jubelin said he was disappointed by the comments and stood by the decisions he made in the case. As for what’s happening now, he said “I can’t comment on the current ongoing investigation, but like everyone else I hope police find out what happened to William.” He took control of the case 5 months after William went missing and was praised for his efforts by William’s foster parents. Last year, they aired concerns about how the case was being dealt with by those who took over from him.

Just like starting over for Biden and Xi

The leaders of the world’s 2 biggest economies met virtually yesterday for their first formal meeting this year, flags included. Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted US President Joe Biden as his “old friend” and Biden said he valued his honest and candid exchanges with Xi in the past. Pleasantries exchanged, both sides took to the trenches to defend their positions on issues like Taiwan, trade and human rights. And it’s the conversation about China’s muscling up to reunify the breakaway territory that has stolen the spotlight from the meeting. China says Biden was warned that encouraging Taiwanese independence would be “playing with fire”, and the White House says the US continues to oppose moves that “undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”. There were no major announcements out of the session, but analysts say it’s a good first step towards getting the China-US relationship out of the toxic burning rubbish tip it’s been in.

Delta fears in the Top End

The Northern Territory is on high alert after it recorded 9 new local COVID cases yesterday, all Indigenous Aussies. A 3-day lockdown was imposed on the Katherine and Robinson River region on Monday after 2 cases emerged, one of which is believed to be the first COVID case recorded in the territory’s remote communities. But after the “serious escalation” in case numbers yesterday, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the lockdown would be extended until 6pm next Monday, and a mask mandate for all of the Territory has also been introduced. One 65yo woman has been admitted to Royal Darwin Hospital, and the other 10 cases have been transferred to the Howard Springs quarantine facility. The new cases announced yesterday are all household contacts of the original cases, and advocates have pointed to overcrowded housing in the Territory as a significant risk to local Indigenous people.

Rise in inflation likely to be temporary: RBA chief

Governor of the Reserve Bank Dr Philip Lowe says Australia won’t be sucked into a “perfect storm” of the global inflationary whirlpool. That is to say, he doesn’t foresee a huge bump in the price of basic consumer goods like we’re witnessing overseas. In the US, an inflation rate of 6.2% – the highest it’s seen in 30 years – has been accompanied by a 5% rise in workers salaries. In contrast, inflation hit 3% in Oz in September and wages grew by less than 2% this year. In a big policy speech yesterday, Lowe said that the risk of this price “contagion” was overblown, in part because Australia’s JobKeeper program protected the local labour market from the shocks that hit international economies during the pandemic. Lowe also thinks the stress on global supply chains will be temporary. Inflation is on the RBA’s radar, but isn’t enough of a concern to warrant an interest rate rise next year, the central bank says.

And if you want more pay…

…then working more doesn’t seem to be the answer. A report out this morning by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work says the work from home situation brought on by the pandemic has seen workers toil for an extra 1.5 hours a week. That means the average working Aussie has been putting in 6.13 hours unpaid each week this year, an increase from 5.25 hours in 2020 and 4.62 hours in 2019. If you’re a salaried worker, that’s taken up by uncompensated early starts, late finishes, lunching al desko, and dealing with your inbox after hours and on the weekend. If you’re paid by the hour, it comes down to the expectation you’ll do the same, the report says. They call it a “time theft crisis” and say 26% of workers reported that their employers’ expectations of their availability increased during the pandemic. Still, 65% of respondents said they will continue to slog it out from home even after COVID is behind us.

Rock ‘n rollin’ in cash

Last week we brought you an auction of film memorabilia. Today, it’s one for the music buffs. More than 900 pieces of music history from the Hard Rock Café in New York are going to auction later this week. And there’s some pretty momentous pieces… Johnny Cash’s harmonica, Bono’s guitar, Elvis Presley’s extensive jewellery collection, a brick from the Cavern Club in Liverpool where The Beatles started out, Freddie Mercury’s handwritten lyrics, and clothes worn by Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Dolly Parton. But the biggest drawcard of the event is Eric Clapton’s 1968 Martin D-45 acoustic guitar that he played during the debut show of his band Derek and the Dominos. It’s expected to fetch up to US$500,000. Put a couple of hours aside, you can browse the virtual catalogue here. 

From skinny jeans to side parts, the Gen Z trendsetters of TikTok have trashed beloved Millenial fashion statements. Now, they say blonde hair is on the way out and darker shades are in – specifically, something called “expensive brunette”…

A picturesque Thai tourist destination made famous by the 2000 movie The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio is reopening next year, officials say. Maya Bay was closed in 2018 for some R&R after the endless hordes of tourists became too much for the area. 

Rare floods in Egypt have washed a plague of venomous scorpions into people’s homes. At least 2021 is nearly over…

12.30pm (AEDT) – Executive Director of Anti-Poverty Week Toni Wren, and the Managing Director of Accenture, Andrew Charlton address the National Press Club – Canberra

12.30pm (AEDT) – PM Scott Morrison gives a keynote address at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue on emerging and cyber technologies – Sydney Other speakers include Indian PM Narendra Modi and former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe

10.00pm (AEDT) – Boxing – Tim Tszyu v Takeshi Inoue – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

ABS Data Release – Wage Price Index, September; Patient Experiences in Australia: Summary of Findings, 2020-21 financial year

Company AGM – Seven Group Holdings; Seek

International Students’ Day

World Prematurity Day

Birthdays for director Martin Scorsese (1942) and actor Danny Devito (1944), Mark “Chopper” Read (1954), drag queen and TV personality RuPaul (1960), singer Kate Ceberano (1966) and actor Rachel McAdams (1978)

Anniversary of:
• Elizabeth I ascending the throne at 25yo following the death of her half-sister Mary (1558)
• the opening of the Suez Canal, linking Mediterranean and Red seas (1869)
• the anniversary of the first ship sailing through the Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (1913)
• Douglas Engelbart receiving a patent for the first computer mouse (1970)
• the premiere of the film Twilight (2008)