Thursday, 17 October - Hit me baby one more time

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 17 October. In your Squiz Today…

• Australia’s fertility rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1935

• Early US voters have turned out in record numbers

• And pets working hard fur the money…​​🐶

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Said presenter Hamish Blake after ultra-runner Nedd Brockmann finished his charity run in Sydney yesterday. Brockmann ran 1,609km around the track - that’s more than 23 marathons - and raised $2.6 million to tackle homelessness. What a champ…

To baby or not to baby…

The Squiz

Australia’s fertility rate has taken a dive to the lowest level since official data started to be collected in 1935. Data released yesterday by the Bureau of Stats shows there were 286,998 births registered across the country in 2023, resulting in a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.50 babies/woman. That’s a decrease of 4.6% on 2022 and builds on a trend of falling birth rates since 2008 - apart from the spike created by the ‘Coronial’ babies born in 2021 after millions of Aussies were locked down at home…  

What’s going on? 

There are a couple of ways to slice it - and as we go through it, keep in mind that the birth rate needs to be 2.1 for a population to replace itself… Starting by geography, Western Australia has the highest TFR (1.57), and the ACT has the lowest (1.31). Tasmania was the only place where the TFR grew - up from 1.49 in 2022 to 1.51 in 2023. And by demographics, more and more women are delaying having kids until their 30s and 40s. The 30-34yos have the highest fertility rate (105.2 babies/1,000 women), followed by the 25-29yos (74.9 babies/1,000 women). And over the last 30 years, the fertility rate of women aged 40-44 years (15.1 babies/1,000 women) almost doubled as the number of teenage mums fell by more than two-thirds (6.2/1,000 women). 

Umm I’ll try again - what’s going on? 

There’s no one answer to the question of why Aussies are putting off having kids, resulting in the median age of mothers rising to 31.9yo and of fathers to 33.8yo. Experts cite societal changes that have seen women taking more control of their reproductive decisions as an overall trend of the last few decades. But there’s also a big focus on lingering cost of living pressures and the housing crisis. And it’s not just an Australia problem - the European Union, Japan, and the US are also a bit freaked out over record low fertility rates. For the Albanese Government’s part, dad of 3 tin lids/Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he knows “it can be expensive to have kids," but “my job is to make sure people can have the choice … of whether to have more kids or not." He pointed to increased childcare funding - and possibly more to come - as evidence of that.

There’s no watering down our commitment

Water is a precious resource, and there are some simple ways to ensure we don’t waste it - like fixing that leaky tap… That small action can save up to 20,000 litres of water across a year*, making a big difference to your water bills and the environment. Westfield is also cutting its water waste by installing smart meters at its destinations right across the country. Talk about smart… Visit westfield.com.au for more information.

_{*Source: NSW Government}

Squiz the Rest

Getting in early

And they’re off… American voters have turned out in record numbers on the first day of early voting in the crucial state of Georgia. More than 328,000 ballot papers have already been returned - way more than the 136,000 votes cast on the first day back in 2020. Former President Donald Trump lost the southern state last time and it’s shaping as one of the most fiercely contested races in this election… And as a sign we really are getting to the pointy end… The Democrats’ Kamala Harris is now doing more interviews as she tries to win over undecided voters - rejecting suggestions she just sticks to “talking points”. And Trump confounded observers with an extended session of dancing at a campaign rally. Now that’s gotta be an invitation to resurface this banger, right? 

A Queensland election surprise

It's a topic we usually associate with American elections, but with the Queensland election just over a week away, the re-criminalisation of abortion is a topic that’s come up for debate… State laws currently allow abortions up to 22 weeks gestation, and Liberal National Party leader (and future premier if the polls are right) David Crisafulli has repeatedly said “there will be no change” to those laws. But many of his MPs voted to keep abortion in the criminal code in 2018, so the thinking goes that it could be up for review if the LNP wins government... It’s an issue that’s also come up in South Oz, where abortion was decriminalised 3 years ago. The state’s Upper House narrowly voted 10-9 to leave as is their abortion laws last night after Liberal MP Ben Hood introduced legislation last month to remove women’s access to abortion on request. 

Aussie tanks heading for Ukraine

Australia will donate dozens of retired battle tanks to Ukraine in what’s being described as our “biggest contribution yet” to its defence against Russia. Under the $245 million support package, we’ll send 49 Abrams tanks that were retired in July to Ukraine, who’ve been asking for them for over a year. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced the deal last night ahead of a NATO meeting he’s heading to in Brussels. He said the tanks will give “more firepower and mobility” to Ukrainian troops on the front lines - and it was welcome news to Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko, who said the gift “will save lives”. It brings our aid contribution to $1.3 billion since the start of the war in 2022. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled his victory plan to his parliament, which relies on Western allies and unconditional entry to NATO. 

They want to break free… 

Supporters of the convicted murderers Lyle and Erik Menendez are growing increasingly hopeful the pair might be freed after more than 3 decades in jail. The brothers' case has got a lot of attention recently, with a couple of big Netflix shows questioning if the pair - who admitted to killing their parents in 1989 - should have been locked up for so long, given their claims of childhood sexual abuse. Earlier this month, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said his office was reviewing the convictions of the brothers - and now nearly 2 dozen of their relatives are backing calls for them to be released. Their cause has also been championed by celebrity queen Kim Kardashian, who reckons they’re “not monsters”. For your news radar: the supporting family members will hold a press conference this morning to make their case. 

Pooches pawcket money

As we talked about earlier, cost of living pressures are having some big consequences, so it’s good to see some creative solutions on the table… Some cat and dog owners in China have started renting out their treasured fur babies to local pet cafes where customers get the chance to hang out with a cute kitty or puppy while sipping on their coffee. The growing trend even has a name - it’s called “Zhengmaotiaoqian” in Chinese, which translates to “earn snack money”. There are now thousands of these types of cafes in China, with some offering the pets a meal, as well as discounts on drinks for their owners. One owner reckons the whole thing is a “win-win” for her 2yo dog named OK, saying “I feel it’s just like parents sending their kids off to school”. Let’s just hope they’re not coming home with a smashed banana in their lunchbox… 

Winners are grinners

You getting your people onto The Squiz is a gift to us, so let us give something back... Each person who signs up using your unique link by 19 October gets you into the draw to win a $450 Go-To voucher - it’s skincare that’s effective, effortless, and fun… A bit like us. Have we mentioned how easy sharing your favourite shortcut to the news is? Copy and paste the link below and share it with your friends/family/colleague/barista…

Your unique link: https://squiztoday.thesquiz.com.au/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

PS: Your friends will need to confirm their email to guarantee entry into the draw. This competition ends at 11.59pm AEDT on 19 October, and the winner will be drawn on 20 October 2024 and contacted via email. Go forth…

Apropos of Nothing

A Minnesota horticulture teacher has claimed the top gong in California’s 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with his 1,121kg gourd. He seems to know what he’s doing - last year, he set a new world record with a 1,247kg behemoth. What a green thumb…

A couple of new Chinese diplomats have touched down in Washington, DC - and they’ve gotten straight to work at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are settling in after a long-haul flight on the Panda Express - bamboo snacks included…

Authorities in Melbourne have blamed an “amorous couple in a stairwell” for setting off a flood in Melbourne's rail loop last week, which caused 2 city train stations to be temporarily closed. They say the duo accidentally "dislodged a sprinkler", which makes sense because it sounds like they needed to cool off…

Squiz the Day

9.30am (AEDT) - The Australia Institute’s Transparency Summit 2024: Secrecy is not Security begins. Speakers include Professor Allan Fels and Senator David Pocock - Canberra

6.00pm (AEDT) - The Australia-China Relations Institute at UTS will host a conversation with Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Simon Birmingham - Sydney

6.30pm (AEDT) - Australia’s premier engineering and technology honours will be given at the 2024 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Awards - Melbourne 

10.30pm (AEDT) - The Hunter’s Supermoon - the brightest of the year - will peak in eastern Aussie skies 

Nine Entertainment will release the findings of an independent review of its workplace culture

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy is attending a NATO meeting in Brussels where he’ll brief Ukraine about Australia’s gift of 49 aging battle tanks to help with their defence against Russian forces

AGM: Cricket Australia, Perpetual Limited 

ABS data release - Labor Force, September 

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 

Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto turns 73 - 3 days before being sworn in as President

A birthday for rapper Eminem (1972)

Anniversary of:

• Queensland decriminalising abortion (2018)

• Mother Teresa receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace (1979)

• Albert Einstein arriving in the US as a refugee from Nazi Germany (1933)

• the birthdays of playwright Arthur Miller (1915) and actress Rita Hayworth (1918)

• the death of composer Frederic Chopin (1849)