Thursday, 18 September - Like a true nature's child

September 18, 2025

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 18 September. In your Squiz Today…

  • Another Pacific defence deal fails to get over the line

  • Trump gets the Royal treatment in the UK

  • And Gout Gout and Torrie Lewis have sprinted into the 200m semi-finals in Tokyo…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Probably the best first dance I have ever seen on this show.”

Said Dancing With the Stars US judge Derek Hough of our very own Robert Irwin, who danced up a show-high score on the season premiere yesterday with a jive to Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Wild. So it’s official, there’s nothing he can’t do…

Defence deal dominoes

The Squiz

The Albanese Government is not having the best of luck in the Pacific, with a second security agreement in as many weeks getting delayed yesterday. PM Anthony Albanese was all set to sign the PukPuk Treaty with Papua New Guinea’s PM James Marape, which reports say would have committed both countries to defend each other in the face of an attack, but that didn’t happen - the 2 leaders signed a communique instead. Both leaders played down the delay, but the government is copping some stick over it after something similar happened in Vanuatu last week. 

What happened in Vanuatu?

We were set to sign a $500 million security/economic deal called the Nakamal agreement. That was agreed to by senior government figures in a fancy volcano-top signing ceremony in August, but when Albanese rocked up last week to lock it in, suddenly it wasn’t quite a done deal. We don’t know what was in it exactly, but reports say it would have made us Vanuatu’s primary security partner. Asked about the delay, Vanuatu PM Jotham Napat pointed to concerns over Vanuatu securing infrastructure funding from other countries (read: China), which is also trying to build its influence in the region. China has denied any involvement in sinking the deal, but with the Pukpuk agreement stalling as well, it’s raising those questions again - particularly as PNG’s Defence Minister Billy Joseph said before the delay happened that “external” players had been trying to nip it in the bud…  

So what happens next?

Both Albanese and Marape say the Pukpuk deal will get done - they reckon the text is settled, and Pacific Affairs Minister Pat Conroy described the holdup as a "logistics" issue. As for Vanuatu - there's been no movement since last week, so your guess is as good as ours… Coalition leader Sussan Ley says the 2 setbacks are embarrassing for the government - she said Albanese “failed to plan for the risks in the region”. Speaking of Ley, she gave her first major economic speech yesterday, where she sounded the alarm over government spending and national debt - and highlighted reducing reliance on welfare as a way to get the country’s balance sheet under control. Ley was also asked about the party’s impending stance on net zero emissions - while the party is still reviewing its position, she did say the Coalition wouldn’t support the goal “at any cost”.

The skincare ingredient that sounds weird but works wonders

Winter does a number on the skin, and for many of us, regular moisturisers just don't cut it. Enter Bescher Beauty's Sea Cucumber Collagen Glow Toner: it's packed with marine collagen, native botanicals, and hyaluronic acid that work together to deliver results. The proof? It sold out in 6 days after building a 35,000-person waitlist. Now it's back in stock, and if winter skin is the bane of your existence, it might be worth trying something that thousands of people couldn't wait to get their hands on. You can check it out here. 

Squiz the Rest

Coming to the crunch on climate…

One item the PM wants ticked off his to-do list is the setting of a new climate target. That's set to be locked in when Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen hands down a new emissions reduction plan for 2035 at a meeting of cabinet today. The target is expected to be between 65 and 75% - a step up from our current goal of cutting harmful emissions by 43% on 2005 levels by 2030. It follows the release of a National Climate Risk Assessment earlier in the week which warned that 1.5 million of us could be affected by rising sea levels, flooding and increased heat-related deaths by 2050 if global warming rises above 2°C. In line with the Paris Agreement - a treaty signed by 196 nations in 2015 - we're aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050, meaning we produce equal or less emissions than we take out of the atmosphere. Once the target is locked in, Albanese will take it to a meeting of leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York next week…

*There's a lot riding on the climate target we set as a nation - we explain why in this Squiz Shortcut…

Getting the Royal treatment

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump touched down in London yesterday for their second state visit to the UK. The first was 6 years ago, back when the late Queen Elizabeth was still alive. This time around, they’ll be hosted by King Charles - and there’s plenty on the agenda. Aside from the ceremonial welcome, they’ve had a military inspection and a carriage procession in the Royals’ Windsor estate - squeezed into the day-and-a-half visit. All that pomp and ceremony isn’t for naught… Analysts say UK PM Keir Starmer - who’s been dealing with his own domestic troubles - will be hoping to capitalise on Trump’s love of all things Royal, to get on his good side over issues like the US trade tariffs and support for Ukraine. Plenty will be watching closely - and if the politics don’t deliver, there’s always the fashion…

Tassie’s stadium is on shaky ground…

… after a planning commission report yesterday called it too big and expensive for the money it might bring to the state. The stadium is set for Macquarie Point, and it's expected to cost about $1 billion, but yesterday's report argued it would only bring in about 50c for every dollar it costs. Premier Jeremy Rockliff - who's long backed the project - is forging ahead anyway, saying the state "can do this". Just by way of reminder, if there's no stadium, there’s no Tasmania Devils AFL and AFLW teams (and no Rum’un, their mascot). But because both Rockliff's minority Liberal Government and the Labor Party (which is under new leadership…) support the stadium, it has the numbers in the lower house of parliament to be approved. The upper house is a different question, though - there, a handful of independents hold its future in their hands… 

*To get across the stadium’s journey up until this point and why it’s been so controversial, we’ve got a Squiz Shortcut for you… 

Hoops, I did it again

One team that won’t need that Macquarie Point stadium is the state’s Jack Jumpers basketball team, who will launch the NBL season tonight with a game against Melbourne United at the (finished) MyState Bank Arena. The Jack Jumpers will be hoping to repeat their 2024 winning season, but they've got stiff competition from this year's champs the Illawarra Hawks, runners-up Melbourne United, perennial high-achievers the Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings. But all eyes are on the Adelaide 36ers this year - with 5-time league MVP Bryce Cotton on their books, the team are now favourites. The season tips off tonight at 7.30pm (AEST) on ESPN… And if you’re not watching basketball, Aussie sprinters Gout Gout and Torrie Lewis have qualified for the 200m semi-finals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. You can catch their races tonight from 10.09pm (AEST) on SBS or 9Now.

*It’s 17yo Gout Gout’s debut on the world stage, and if you’d like to know a bit more about him, we’ve profiled him in our latest Squiz Who...  

Internet legacies are forever…

We spoke about Oscar-winner Robert Redford’s death yesterday, and there’ve been heaps of tributes for him and his many roles since - but one in particular has gotten a lot of attention online. You might already know what one we’re talking about, but if not, it’s Redford in a 1972 film called Jeremiah Johnson, and it produced one of the internet's most famous GIFs. In this particular scene, Redford (with an impressive head of hair/beard…) is looking over his shoulder and nodding slowly. It’s done the rounds online for years, and each time it resurfaces, it seems to surprise a bunch of people who’ve confused him with actor/comedian Zach Galifianakis. That's happened again this week, so if you’re online in the coming days and see posts mentioning them both, now you can nod along…

Apropos of Nothing - An animal takeover

A giraffe at a UK zoo has learned to use an inhaler, which is about as cute as it sounds… 16yo giraffe Mahiri has a nasal condition that makes breathing difficult, so zoo staff whipped up the handy solution - and it only took 3 years for them to teach Mahiri how to do it… 

We’ve talked about Virgin Australia’s plan for small pets to fly in the cabin before, but now we’ve got some more details: to fly the first available trial route of Melbourne-Gold Coast with your (less than 8kg) furry friend, it’ll cost you $149. Plus treats, of course… 

And with competitors named things like Marilyn Merino and Lamb-orghini, the only thing better than the puns at the annual Caragabal sheep races are the pictures - here’s a gallery we think ewe might enjoy… 

Squiz the Day

7.30pm (AEST) - Basketball: NBL Round 1, Tasmania Jack Jumpers v Melbourne United - Hobart, watch on Kayo 

9.30am (AEST) - Former talkback radio host Alan Jones is set to face court on 9 fresh charges of indecent assault, bringing the total number of charges against him to 44 - Sydney

From 8:55pm (AEST) - Athletics: Aussies Abbey Caldwell, Claudia Hollingsworth, and Jessica Hull will race in the women's 800m heats at the World Athletics Championships - Tokyo 

From 10.02pm (AEST) - Athletics: Sprinters Gout Gout and Torrie Lewis will compete in the semi-finals of the 200m at the World Athletics Championships - Tokyo 

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen is set to hand down a new emissions reduction target for 2035 at a meeting of cabinet - Canberra

ABS data release: National, state and territory population, March 2025, Labour Force, Australia, August 2025; Corrective Services, Australia, June 2025

Australia’s Great North Conference begins, focusing on People and Place, Climate and Nature, and Democracy and Governance (until 19 September) - Darwin 

Game Worlds exhibition opens in Melbourne (until 8 February)

Chile's national day 

London Fashion Week kicks off (until 22 September) 

🍔 National Cheeseburger Day in the US

Birthdays for former road cyclist/drug cheat Lance Armstrong (1971) and actor Jada Pinkett-Smith (1971)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthday of actress Greta Garbo (1905)

  • the release of the film A Streetcar Named Desire starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh (1951)

  • the premiere of The Addams Family (1964), Get Smart (1965) and I Dream of Jeannie (1965)

  • the deaths of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix (1970) and SCOTUS Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2020)