Friday, 14 November - Shake, shake, shake

November 14, 2025

Good morning, it’s Friday, 14 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Liberal Party changes tack on net zero

  • The News Media Bargaining Code gets an update

  • And a sausage bake that’s easy to make… 🌭

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“A cut-up sock."

Said one commenter of Apple’s new iPhone Pocket - a travel case for its suite of iPhone products that retails for a very un-sock-like $350. Well, it would if you could get it in Oz - Apple hasn’t made it available here. You can spend that $350 on a lot of intact socks instead…

Nyet to net zero

The Squiz

The Liberal Party dropped its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 yesterday, finalising the decision after a marathon party-room meeting on Wednesday. Coalition leader Sussan Ley said while hitting the goal would be a welcome outcome, “affordable energy must come first”. The change of tack brings the Liberals largely in line with the Nationals, and reverses the decision the Coalition made under then-PM Scott Morrison in 2021. But while the party has changed its stance on net zero, it is sticking with Australia’s obligations under the Paris Agreement.

What’s the difference?

The Paris Agreement is an international climate treaty that we officially signed in 2016 (when Malcolm Turnbull was PM). It requires countries to increase their emissions reduction targets every 5 years, with the goal of keeping the rise in global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The new Liberal policy says the party will still "reduce emissions on average year on year" if it gets into government, but will also set new reduction targets for 2030 and 2035, and remove the long-term goal of net zero emissions by 2050 from the Climate Change Act. Now that's sorted, Liberal MPs will meet with National Party MPs to hash out the details, before formalising the policy as a Coalition on Sunday. 

And how’s it gone down?

PM Anthony Albanese said the Coalition's policy would lead to "less economic growth" and warned that it would "damage our relationships in the region", including our security partnerships. Independent ‘teal’ MP Zali Steggall - one of the many climate-focused independents to win seats formerly held by the Liberals - says the decision makes the Coalition ‘unelectable’. In terms of Ley’s leadership, analysts say she’s bought some extra time in the role by keeping the conservative faction of her party onside. And while all this is going on in Oz, 2 climate reports released yesterday found that while fossil fuel emissions growth has slowed worldwide, it’s still set to hit a record high this year - and the forecast rise in temperature is well above the 1.5 degrees the Paris Agreement is aiming for.

Group gifts without the group chat chaos

Organising teacher gifts, office farewells or team thank yous can turn into administrative nightmare only for someone to panic-buy at the last minute. But GroupTogether can do the heavy lifting for you by setting up a collection, everyone chips in online, and it all turns into a digital gift card for 100+ retailers. No awkward cash collections or tracking who hasn't paid. You can even schedule delivery and personalise the card, and the whole thing takes about 2 minutes start to finish. Head here for on GroupTogether.

Squiz the Rest

Ending a record shutdown

Something else we've been waiting for is an official end to the US government shutdown, and yesterday, it happened… The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan funding package (which you'll remember was blocked in the Senate until early this week…), and US President Donald Trump signed the bill to reopen the government after a record 43 days. That means federal workers can return to work/be paid, national parks and museums will reopen, and federal agencies/programs can resume. Still missing, though, is any concession from Republican lawmakers on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies to help millions with their insurance - that was a priority for Democrats, so some analysts are arguing they failed to achieve much by forcing the standoff in the first place.

Zelensky's troubles pile up

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate, 2 of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s senior ministers have resigned over a corruption scandal. Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk have left their posts after anti-corruption bodies revealed an alleged embezzlement scheme involving Ukraine’s energy sector. You can read more about the details of the scheme here, but it's causing trouble for Zelensky because the alleged mastermind is Timur Mindich, who is a former business associate of the Ukrainian President. That's piling pressure on Zelensky to curb the long-running issue of corruption in Ukraine while also defending against increased Russian attacks in recent weeks.

Victoria makes history

After nearly a decade of consultation, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has signed a treaty with Aboriginal people. As our first treaty formalised into law, it’s significant for the whole country… It will set up a representative body, Gellung Warl, for “ongoing truth-telling and healing” and to advise the state government on issues affecting First Nations people. Allan says it’ll “build a stronger, fairer, more equal Victoria for everyone”, while Mick Gooda, a Yiman and Ghangulu man/Indigenous rights advocate, says it means “Aboriginal people have been recognised in Victoria, and that's a lesson for the rest of Australia”. With praise from the UN human rights chief, there are now questions about whether other states and territories will follow…

Trying to find a Meta solution

There’s been movement on the News Media Bargaining Code, with the Albanese Government threatening tech giants with a $112 million tax bill if they don't pay for news content. Mark Zuckerberg's Meta - the one behind Facebook and Instagram - is at the heart of this after refusing to renew commercial deals with Aussie publishers. Yesterday, the government said social media/search platforms - including TikTok and Google - earning annual revenue in Oz of at least $250 million will cop the tax, regardless of whether they carry news content. That’s to avoid what happened in Canada… If the companies agree to pay publishers $75 million a year, they’d dodge the tax. Meta says it will “review the proposal” and participate in the consultation process, which runs until 19 December.

For those about to quake (we salute you)

Rock legends AC/DC kicked off their Oz tour in Melbourne on Wednesday night, and they rocked so hard that earthquake detection equipment picked it up. The Seismology Research Centre in Melbourne says the concert registered in the 2-5 hertz range - enough to physically shake the ground. But rock and roll ain't (just) noise pollution - SRC chief scientist Adam Pascale said it's the crowd jumping up and down, combined with the vibrations from the speakers, that gets picked up by their equipment. The concert was nonetheless very, very loud - Melburnians as far as 10km away said they could hear it from their house. Here's the rest of AC/DC’s tour dates - if you live within cooee of those venues and you’re not a fan, maybe buy some earmuffs…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

To gear up for the first ball of The Ashes next week, The Guardian has been posting its list of the 100 greatest men’s Ashes cricketers of all time - it’s a great journey through the event’s history and an excellent way to start a debate down the local pub…

Pluribus on Apple TV is the new show from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan, and for that alone it would be worth recommending, but it's also a fascinating sci-fi drama with an incredible lead performance from Rhea Seehorn. Worth a watch…

Sometimes, all it takes for dinner inspiration is to see someone else do it, and suddenly it seems achievable - like this Sausage and Risoni bake by Beth Macdonald. It’s super easy (the oven does all the work) and it's a tasty way to get your greens in.

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEDT) - Status review as families sue the rural fire service after deaths in Black Summer bushfires at the Supreme Court of NSW - Sydney

9.00am (AEDT) - A public hearing will take place at Parliament House for the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee’s inquiry into the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 - Canberra

9.00am (ACDT) - Volleyball: The Beach Volleyball World Championships begin - Adelaide, watch on SBS On Demand

9.30am (AEDT) - Daniel Billings, charged with the domestic violence murder of Molly Ticehurst, returns to court - Forbes, NSW

10.00am (AEDT) - Lendlease Group will hold its Annual General Meeting at its office in Barangaroo - Sydney

11.00am (AEDT) - Tennis: Australia v Portugal in the Billie Jean King Cup Play-off at the Domain Tennis Centre  - Hobart, Tasmania, watch on 9Now

12.30pm (AEDT) - Supercars: The Sandown 500, featuring races 30 and 31, gets underway at Sandown Raceway - Springvale, Victoria, watch on Kayo 

7.00pm (ACDT) - The 2026 Australian of the Year Awards for South Australia will be announced in a ceremony at the National Wine Centre - Adelaide

7.15pm (AEDT) - Journalist Antoinette Lattouf will speak on “Why Human Rights can't survive without a free press" in Conversation at the Crossroads' third Annual Oration - Melbourne 

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is set to announce a $37 million Working With Children Check reform, which will establish a national approach where being banned in one state will mean being banned throughout the country

ABS data releases: Intentional self-harm (suicide) deaths, 2024; Jobs in Australia, 2022-2023; Personal Income in Australia, 2022-2023, Deaths from external causes 2024; Causes of death, Australia, 2024

A birthday for King Charles (1948) and actor Patrick Warburton (1964) 

Anniversary of:

  • the birthday of painter Claude Monet (1840)

  • New York World reporter Nellie Bly beginning her attempt to surpass the fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days. She successfully finished the trip in 72 days, 6 hours (1889)

  • the first public trains running under the English Channel (1994)

  • the film premiere of the first James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, Casino Royale (2006)

Saturday
10.00am (AEST) - Residents of Townsville will vote to elect the town’s new mayor after the previous mayor, Troy Thompson, resigned amidst an ongoing corruption investigation - Townsville 

11.00am (ACDT) - The one-day Bicheno Food and Wine Festival 2025 - Bicheno, Tasmania

1.30pm (AEDT) - Football: The Socceroos v Venezuela at Shell Energy Stadium for the FIFA Men's International Window - Houston, Texas, watch on Paramount+ 

4.25pm (AEDT) - Horse racing: The CF Orr Stakes jumps at Caulfield Racecourse - Melbourne

Birthdays for ABBA singer Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad (1945), designer Jimmy Choo (1948), and actor Shailene Woodley (1991)

Anniversary of 

  • the birth of painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887) 

  • Yasser Arafat, the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, issuing a declaration of independence for a state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (1988)

  • Microsoft releasing the first Xbox console (2001) 

  • Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe being placed under house arrest, marking the beginning the end of his rule (2017)

  • the death of rapper Lil Peep at 21yo (2017)

  • the world's population reaching 8 billion (2022)

Sunday
7.10am (AEDT) - Rugby union: Australia's Wallabies continue their Spring Tour and play their Irish counterparts at Aviva Stadium - Dublin, watch on Stan Sport

11.00am (AEDT) - Tennis: Billie Jean King Cup qualifier Australia v Brazil in the Billie Jean King Cup Play-off at the Domain Tennis Centre - Hobart, Tasmania, watch on 9Now

2.00pm (AEDT) - Boxing: UFC 322 Champion Australian Jack Della Maddalena defends his UFC welterweight belt v Islam Makhachev at Madison Square Garden - NY, US, watch on Kayo

A virtual joint party room meeting, combining both the Liberal Party and the Nationals, will be held to carve out the Coalition’s climate policy

Chile will vote to elect the country’s next president

Anniversary of:

  • the foundation of Havana after Cuba moved its capital to avoid mosquito infestations (1519)

  • New Zealand officially becoming a separate colony within the British Empire, severing its link to New South Wales (1840)

  • the founding of Qantas in Winton, Queensland (1920)

  • the founding of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (1945)

  • Milli Vanilli being stripped of their Grammy Award because they did not sing on the Girl You Know It’s True album (1990)

  • the first case of SARS virus being recorded in China (2002)

  • the debut of Lionel Messi for FC Barcelona (2003)

Monday
12.00pm (AEDT) - MotoGP: The Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana - Valencia, Spain, watch on Kayo