Friday, 30 January - Double trouble tonight

January 30, 2026

Good morning, it’s Friday, 30 January. In your Squiz Today…

  • A showdown on health funding between the federal and state governments

  • Two Aussie doubles pairs are through to the finals at the Oz Open

  • And a magic 2-ingredient ‘cheesecake’… 🧑‍🍳

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“This cannot possibly be true.”

Was Queensland researcher Dr Chelsea Huang’s reaction to discovering a new, potentially habitable planet. It’s called HD 137010 b (catchy…), is about the size of Earth, and the only catch is its -70C surface temps. Still, downright refreshing compared to Oz this week…

A healthy disagreement

The Squiz

Our federal and state health ministers are gathering in Sydney today for a national cabinet meeting as they try to resolve a long-running dispute over disability and hospital funding. PM Anthony Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler were hoping the overdue deal would be inked before Christmas, but there’s been pushback from state and territory leaders over how much the federal government will chip in for our public hospitals. But yesterday, we learned the federal government has offered to delay the rollout of Thriving Kids (a new support program for kids with autism…) to secure the hospital deal, and reports say that could get it over the line…

I’m gonna need a recap…

This clash dates back to 2023, when the federal government pledged to fund 42.5% of public hospital running costs by 2030 and 45% by 2035. But with federal budget deficits and NDIS cost blowouts, state and territory leaders have since accused the Albanese Government of walking back that offer, closer to 37% - which NSW Premier Chris Minns called a “massive decline”. The battle ramped up in September, when the PM wrote to health ministers, telling them to rein in public hospital spending and make efficiencies if they want the federal government to cough up 42.5% - which they weren’t happy about. Cue a couple of emergency meetings late last year, and the current offer is an extra $23 billion over the next 5 years - still less than the $30 billion the states and territories are after.

And what about Thriving Kids?

That’s a separate program the Albanese Government pledged $2 billion towards last year (matched by states and territories…) to divert children with autism off the National Disability Insurance Scheme (the NDIS) with more school, health clinic and community supports. It’s part of the government’s plan to cut rapidly growing NDIS costs, and was due to start on 1 July, but the state and territory governments say they’re not ready for the rollout on their end. Now, Albanese and Butler have offered to delay its start date until October as a sweetener for signing off on the hospital funding deal. The ministers will hash out the details today, so we’ll find out sooner rather than later if they can get it done…

For more info about Thriving Kids/the NDIS reset, this Shortcut will get you up to speed…

Smiling wide

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Squiz the Rest

A rare meeting in Beijing…

…between UK PM Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping happened yesterday. It’s the first time the leaders of their respective countries have broken bread in 8 years, after issues like espionage and free speech created some waves. But the 2 leaders met for over an hour to smooth things over, speaking about trade and cultural opportunities - and Starmer, who had a 54-strong entourage with him (imagine trying to book that trip…) also brought an unusual gift for the President: the football from last weekend’s English Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal. If you're wondering why - Xi is a Man United fan, and they notched a win over Starmer's team, so it was a case of diplomatic point scoring all round… After wrapping up in China, the UK leader will head to Japan to meet its new PM Sanae Takaichi - she’s in the middle of an ongoing diplomatic row with China, so that’s also one to watch… 

A possible breakthrough 

There’s been a major update in the case of missing Belgian backpacker Celine Cremer, with police confirming that human remains have been found in a remote rainforest in Tasmania where she was believed to have been bushwalking. If you haven’t heard of this case, here’s some background, but reports say the 31yo was travelling solo around the country when she went missing in June 2023 in the Philosopher Falls area in the state’s north-west. Tasmania Police Inspector Andrew Hanson said a volunteer searcher had discovered 2 human bones, and when officers searched the area, 5 more were found. He said the remains will be sent for testing to identify whether they belong to Cremer, but the process could take several weeks. No clothing or belongings were found, but police will continue searching the area today...   

Tesla pumps the brakes

The company co-founded by Elon Musk says it’s changing its focus from cars to AI and robots, after it reported its first-ever drop in annual revenue yesterday. As part of the pivot, Tesla will stop making its luxury S and X models altogether, and pump $2 billion into xAI, another company owned by Musk. It’s been a rocky year for Tesla - late last year it was overtaken as the world’s biggest electric vehicle manufacturer by the Chinese company BYD, and in April last year Musk said he was refocusing on the company after a brief stint running the now-defunct DOGE department in the Trump administration. Musk said it was “slightly sad” to be calling time on the S and X, but the company needed to free up factory space for its humanoid Optimus robot instead - which he says is almost ready for mass-production…  

Time to lock in…

We’re getting to the pointy end of the Australian Open, with the women’s finalists decided last night - they’re defending champ Aryna Sabalenka and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina. The last men standing will also be sorted today, with world #1 Carlos Alcaraz taking on #3 Alexander Zverev in the semis, followed by a clash of tennis titans Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. As for the Aussies - we're still going strong in the doubles… Men's pair Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans - aka the Pol-Ler Express - are through to the final. Not bad for their first major together… Also booking a finals berth are reigning mixed doubles champs Olivia Gadecki and John Peers. They’re defending their title at 12pm AEDT today (watch it on Channel 9). If they win, it’ll be the first time an Aussie mixed dubs pairing has won back-to-back titles since 1989. C’mon Aussies…

Nothing’s within coo-ee of Bluey…

…on the Nielsen streaming rankings in the US, anyway. The Oz-made animated series racked up 45.2 billion - yes, billion - minutes of eyeball time in the US to be the most-streamed show in the country. That's despite the fact the 154 full-length eps of the kids' show are only 10 minutes long, so they've clearly been watched again, and again, and again… Bluey beat out Grey’s Anatomy and Stranger Things, which registered about 40 billion minutes apiece.If you’re one of those families who can recite every line of the show backwards and forwards by now, we’ve got good news and bad news: Bad news, there are no new episodes confirmed to be in the works, but good news, there’s a full-length film coming out next year, so get ready to know that off by heart as well…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Wuthering Heights the movie is coming out soon and we gobbled up Margot Robbie’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, where she talked about showing her friends the film and how their screams “measured on the Richter scale” when Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff appeared onscreen. Can’t wait…

If you’re up for a romcom with a nostalgic twist and plenty of catchy music, we can recommend People We Meet on Vacation. It’s the movie version of Emily Henry’s book - sweet, fluffy and a reminder that friendship is so often a gateway to more… 

We were stopped in our scrolling tracks by a viral TikTok trend for a 2-ingredient Japanese cheesecake hack and felt it was our duty to test it. It involves standing some bickies upright in yoghurt and putting it in the fridge to ‘set’ - the hardest part is waiting overnight, but the result is genius.

Squiz the Day

Friday
12.00 midday (AEDT) - Tennis: Australian Open mixed doubles final - Aussie duo Olivia Gadecki and John Peers will take on France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard - Melbourne, watch on 9Now

4.00pm (AEDT) - Festivale 2026 kicks off (until 1 February) - Launceston, Tasmania

A national cabinet meeting to discuss a hospital and NDIS funding deal between the federal, state and territory governments will be held - Sydney

Berlin Fashion Week begins, showcasing the Autumn-Winter 2026 season (until 2 February) - Berlin

ABS data release - Producer Price Indexes, December

🥐 World Croissant Day

Birthdays for actors Christian Bale (1974) and Olivia Colman (1974)

Anniversary of:

  • the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi (1948)

  • the birth of the Ashes legend after the defeated English team is presented with the ashes of a wooden bail (1883)

  • The Beatles performing their last live gig on a London rooftop (1969)

  • the WHO declaring COVID-19 as a public health emergency (but not yet a pandemic…) (2020)

Saturday
12.40pm (AEDT) - Cycling: The women’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Geelong, Victoria

7.30pm (AEDT) - Tennis: Australian Open women’s singles final - Melbourne, watch on 9Now

Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour kicks off in Perth

🐾 It’s the opening day of the 150th Westminster Dog Show - New York, watch on the Westminster Kennel Club livestream 

Independence Day in Nauru

Birthdays for actor Portia de Rossi (1973), radio host Jackie O (1975) and singer/actor Justin Timberlake (1981)

Anniversary of: 

  • Apollo 14 lifting off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon (1971)

  • the United Kingdom officially leaving the European Union (2020)

Sunday
7.00am (AEDT) - A community paddle-out will be held at North Bondi to honour the life of 12yo Nico Antic, who died after being attacked by a shark while swimming in Sydney Harbour - Sydney 

10.30am (AEDT) - Midsumma Pride March - Melbourne

11.10am (AEDT) - Cycling: The men’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Geelong, Victoria 

7.30pm (AEDT) - Tennis: Australian Open, men’s singles final - Melbourne, watch on 9Now

World Interfaith Harmony Week (until 7 February) 

Costa Rica’ is holding its presidential election

The Australian Retail Council is set to launch following the amalgamation of The Australian Retailer Association and National Retail Association

🍨 World Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

A birthday for Harry Styles (1994)

Anniversary of:

  • the arrest of Martin Luther King Jr and 700 protestors in Selma, Alabama (1965)

  • the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster which killed all 7 astronauts aboard (2003)

  • Queen Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots (1587)