Thursday, 22 August - We are never ever ever getting back together

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 22 August. In your Squiz Today…

• Big changes ahead for the NDIS

• Calls for more funding to end violence against women and children

• And Bennifer 2.0 call it quits…💔

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Is a phrase for a new class of educated young adults in China who can’t get a good job thanks to the country’s troubled employment market. ‘Rotten-tail’ refers to a project falling short in its final phase - something we’ll be labelling our forgotten box of craft projects…

Next steps to stop NDIS costs from spiralling

The Squiz

After months of disagreements, the Albanese Government has got the backing it needs from all the states/territories to make significant changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which it says will save $14 billion over the next 4 years. NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says participants will get a “clear steer” on the changes that will “help ensure the Scheme is here for the future” after the legislation underpinning the changes passes through the federal parliament. 

Back it up a bit… 

Applying the breaks to the NDIS has been a priority - it was originally expected to cost $13 billion a year but has blown out to $42 billion, surpassing aged care ($36 billion) and Medicare ($32 billion) spends. That’s seen the Feds try to shift some of it back to the states/territories, which raised concerns of "service gaps", particularly for kids with autism. But that wasn’t the only issue… The reforms give the minister and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) more investigative powers and the ability to set limits on participants, along with the final say on what NDIS money can be spent on. All of that’s intended to stamp out the well-publicised rorting of the scheme and stop the spiralling costs. It’s been a difficult process but Shorten says he’s not for turning just because "telling the truth about the Scheme seems to upset people”. 

So everyone’s happy now?

Nope… State/Territory leaders might be feeling reassured, but disability advocacy groups want the government to ditch the bill entirely over “critical concerns”. People With Disability Australia is one group that says giving the NDIA “excessive authority" over debt recovery could spell trouble, particularly for First Nations and marginalised groups, who they say will be disproportionately affected. The First Peoples Disability Network agrees and is also urging Senators not to support the changes as it's "even worse" than the status quo. Shorten says he respects their concerns, but they are "unfounded". As for what happens now, Labor and the Coalition voted for a closure motion in the Senate which means the bill is a done deal and will receive a final vote today.

Explore the world in comfort

Going on a cruise is a great way to see the world and with Viking, there are no kids, no casinos and everything is included. Their voyages head to all 7 continents on award-winning small ships with elegant Scandinavian interiors. Itineraries range from 8 to 180 days, so it doesn’t matter if you have a little free time or a lot. And as all Viking cruises are destination-focused and include a tour in every port, there’s always something new to discover. Explore the Viking way today.

Squiz the Rest

A big trial date is set

Erin Patterson, the woman charged with killing 3 people with a deadly mushroom-infused beef Wellington, is set to face trial in regional Victoria’s Morwell from 28 April next year. She’s also facing 5 charges of attempted murder (including 4 attempts on the life of her estranged husband…) and has pleaded not guilty to all counts. The fact that the Victorian Supreme Court has ruled that the trial will take place in Morwell is notable - her legal team have been pushing for a trial close to her Leongatha home while the prosecution wanted it to be flicked to Melbourne. A pre-trial hearing of the case started yesterday and will continue today and then across next week. Strict laws in Victoria mean the media is limited to publishing the basic details of what is said in court before a jury is empanelled.

Calling for more cash

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin shared her first report on the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children yesterday - that’s the 10-year plan to stamp it out within “one generation”. It comes months after the latest crisis flared with several high-profile homicides across the country. In particular, Cronin called out the need to improve what's being said to young men and to deal with their widespread "access to online misogyny". She also wants more funding for DV services, which she says are "beyond capacity". That was echoed by frontline workers, who have called for an extra $270 million for the sector. And as the Coalition pushed the government to take more action with “fierce urgency”, Prevention of Family Violence Assistant Minister Justine Elliot said “generational change depends on educating our sons”. 

Bringing in the big guns…

The Democratic National Convention has passed the halfway point, and yesterday Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were on show, with the former president calling Republican candidate Donald Trump “a 78yo billionaire who has not stopped whining”. And after her husband's slow start to support Harris, the former first lady said the Veep was “one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency”. Another thing to note from the day - Harris has officially accepted the party’s nomination. Trump, meanwhile, is getting into position to receive the endorsement of Independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr as he considers dropping out of the race. Trump says he’d consider giving Kennedy a place in his administration if he has his backing. Whatever happens, Kennedy will have more time to deal with his “freezer full” of roadkill… 

A green light for sunlight

A plan to develop the world’s biggest renewable energy project - which would pump power to Singapore via undersea cables - is set to go ahead in the NT after federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek rubber-stamped it yesterday. If you’re thinking “what’s that about”, let us shed some light… The SunCable Australia-Power Link is a $30 billion project backed by Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes (note: ex-investor Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest pulled out last year…). It’ll see a pastoral station about 800km southeast of Darwin turned into a solar farm with a transmission line to Singers via 4,300km of underwater cables delivering 24/7 green power. It's ambitious and has its doubters, but SunCable's boss Cameron Garnsworthy says the approval is a "landmark moment". The financial side won't come together until 2027, so it's not powering up just yet…

Bye bye Bennifer 2.0

Condolences if you’re feeling like love is deaf following the latest Hollywood divorce. News that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are passing through Splitsville went down as well as her recent $20 million self-funded movie about their “greatest love story never told”. Lopez filed the paperwork on their second wedding anniversary - and reports say with no prenup in place it could get messy. It wasn’t their first 2nd anniversary, though… The couple met in 2001 and were together for several very high-profile years (featuring Affleck’s cameo in Lopez’s iconic Jenny From The Block music video - one of our favourite things ever…). They broke things off but reunited in 2021, marrying in 2022 and buying a $100 million house. Ultimately, though, Bennifer 2.0 wasn’t meant to be, and we may yet see if JLo’s love don’t cost a thing…

Apropos of Nothing

Iconic motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson has dropped its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, saying it’s up to managers to make judgements about how to best serve their customers. They’ve gone a bit ride or die about it… 

Thinking about home ownership but worried about what happens when you get bitten by the travel bug, this might appeal. Jon Kotwicki has turned 2 big planes into homes in Alaska. Just hope the kitchen turns out better food than when it was operational… 

Forget the Olympics… There are 8,000 athletes from 110 countries competing in the World Masters Athletics Championship in Sweden where 101yo Vallabhajosyula Sriramulu from India has claimed 3 gold medals in the javelin, discus and shotput. Age is but a number…

Squiz the Day

9.30am (AEST) - The case of Daniel Billings, accused of murdering Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, will be back in court for an update on the status of the police brief of evidence - Parkes

From 12.00pm (AEST) - US Democratic Veep nominee Tim Walz will deliver his acceptance speech at the DNC with the theme: ‘A Fight for Our Freedoms’. Former President Bill Clinton will speak before him - Chicago, US

7.00pm (AEST) - Golf: AIG Women’s Open tees off (until 25 August) - St Andrews, UK

Company results - Whitehaven Coal, Sonic Healthcare, Medibank, Northern Star Resources, SkyCity Entertainment, Super Retail Group, G8 Education, Stockland

Daffodil Day (Raising money for the Cancer Council) 

International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief 

Birthdays for Ty Burrell (1967), Kristen Wiig (1973), James Corden (1978), and Dua Lipa (1995)

Anniversary of:

• James Cook’s expedition landing on the east coast of Australia (Possession Island in Queensland to be precise) and declaring it for the British Empire (1770)

• the adoption of the first Geneva Convention by 12 nations, which established the standards of international law for humanitarian treatment in war (1864)

Friday
2.00am (AEST) - Athletics: Lausanne Diamond League Meet - Lausanne, Switzerland