Tuesday, 12 May - Got a ticket for my destination

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 12 May. In your Squiz Today…

• Treasurer Jim Chalmers is handing down his fifth federal Budget tonight

• The Aussies on the hantavirus cruise ship have had their trip home delayed

• And staying whale and hearty…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Hungary’s dancing Health Minister Zsolt Hegedus, who treated crowds to more of the moves that went viral after his party’s election win last month. With an air guitar game that strong, it's no surprise he’s focused on getting people up and moving…

The countdown is on

The Squiz

Polish your calculator and get out your abacus, it’s Budget day… Tonight, Treasurer Jim Chalmers will deliver his fifth federal Budget, which many analysts reckon is his most important of the bunch. With various wars still going on around the world, a fuel supply crisis, cost of living issues, rising interest rates and sliding productivity to think about (for starters), he’s got quite the needle to thread…

OK, so how’s he going to thread it?

By breaking the odd promise, by the sounds of things… Two key things to watch out for tonight are the Capital Gains Tax discount and negative gearing - both policies that lower the tax burden on property investors/owners. PM Anthony Albanese ruled out changes to either one of those before the 2025 federal election, but they’re back on the table, as the government looks to take on “intergenerational inequality” (aka the idea that it’s harder to get ahead or invest in property for younger people). While he hasn’t absolutely confirmed either reform yet, Chalmers says the “status quo in the tax and housing system is broken” - and is “locking out too many Australians.”

What else is in the works?

The government has flagged an extra $2 billion for housing supply (aka building more homes), and a bunch more… Reports say significant cuts to the NDIS, possibly some business tax reform and a potential tax offset for Aussie workers (that might not kick in until the new financial year) are also on the agenda. We’ll wait and see, but a select group of people will find out before anyone else - Budget day also means a Budget lockup, where a group of (lucky?) journos are literally locked in a room for hours with a sneak preview of the document so they can begin reporting on it as soon as Chalmers reveals all at around 7:30pm AEST tonight. We’ll give you all the washup bright and early tomorrow… 

Making your points go further

The Reserve Bank are making changes to interchange fees, and rewards credit cards are in the firing line but Velocity is pushing to keep things simple... While some points programs are cutting back, they’ve still got domestic reward seats on Virgin Australia starting from 5,900 points. Plus, with more than 450 partners - think Flybuys and 7-Eleven - it’s a handy way to keep those holiday dreams alive without having to change your spending habits. You can learn more about Velocity frequent flyer here.

Squiz the Rest

The end of a manhunt

The search for triple-murder suspect Julian Ingram could be over after police found a body they think is him next to an abandoned ute. Authorities have been searching for 37yo Ingram since January when he allegedly shot and killed his former partner Sophie Quinn, her boyfriend John Harris and her aunt Nerida Quinn in the rural town of Lake Cargelligo, about 450km west of Sydney. Police say the body was in a “very decomposed” state and still needs to be formally identified but the find “brings closure … and gives some solace to the town so they can relax”. Reports say Ingram had a history of domestic violence offences, and police will now examine what happened in the lead-up to the shootings and how he was able to access a gun.
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Peace with Iran so far away

After rejecting Iran’s latest proposal for peace talks yesterday, US President Donald Trump says the current indefinite ceasefire is on “life support”. Iran’s latest offer included a request for the US to end its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and an end to all fighting in the region (which would include between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon). Trump called it “unbelievably weak” and said he didn’t finish reading the proposal before rejecting it. Which will make for an interesting week, as he’ll be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping this week... China buys more Iranian oil than any country in the world, and called for a “complete cessation of hostilities” after a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister last week. So this upcoming Presidential chat could be a touch tense… 

Homeward bound - eventually…

The 5 Aussies who were aboard MV Hondius during a recent hantavirus outbreak have had their trip back to Oz delayed by a refuelling issue this morning - they’re now due to arrive later this week. Reports say the passengers, who are from NSW and Queensland, aren’t showing any symptoms of the virus, but before they get the green light to re-enter the community, they’ll spend 3 weeks in a quarantine facility about 45km north-east of Perth. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the virus doesn’t have “pandemic potential”, but the government has stepped in to contain any risks. All 146 passengers are being repatriated - the latest to show symptoms are an American and a French passenger who fell ill on their flights home.

Not so fast, kids…

If you’re seeing the phrase ‘Scientology speedrun’ in the news recently, we’re here to help… It’s a viral trend out of the US where a bunch of online users sign up to swarm (or speedrun) a location they think is secretive or mysterious. In this case, it’s the Church of Scientology, the controversial body created by the author L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s. On Saturday, the trend was brought to Oz, where 200 people rushed the Scientology HQ on George Street in Brisbane. A police car was allegedly damaged and 2 teenagers were charged, and the Church says this kind of stunt is “harassment”. Queensland police say that while the kids doing this might think it’s funny, “their behaviour is real, so the consequences need to be real.” They’re keeping an eye out online for any others in the works.

Whale, whale, whale, look what we have here

May marks the beginning of humpback highway - when the mammals begin their migration from the chilly Antarctic to the warmer waters of Queensland, northern New South Wales and the Ningaloo coast in Western Australia for breeding season. Macquarie University has recently done a study on whale behaviours while they’re on the move, and some of its key findings came from social media footage of 66 whales… The whales were seen “gaping”, where they hold their mouths open while turned upside down, and researchers reckon it's a social behaviour that signals that they’re ready to play. If you want to do some gaping from shore, check out some of the best spots for whale watching here…

Apropos of Nothing

Aussie Penny Smith has hit 30 from 30 targets to win the women’s trap shooting World Cup in Kazakhstan. A new faster finals format didn’t faze the 31yo Paris bronze medallist either - she not only took the title with a perfect score, she broke the world record too.

The Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards have turned out some incredible looks, but we’re especially loafing this gown worn by reality TV star Queen Mercy Atang made of 500 loaves of bread - a baked-in promo for her bread business…

And Adolescence has cleaned up at the BAFTA TV Awards… The drama won 4 awards, breaking the record for the most wins at a single ceremony. If you haven’t watched it yet, you can (steel yourself, because it can be an emotional watch) and catch it on Netflix here…

Squiz the Day

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will deliver the federal Budget

Federal parliament sits, both houses (until 14 May)

9.00am (AEST) - The federal government is expected to table its full response on gambling reform - Canberra

9:30am (AEST) - The Federal Court will rule on a court case involving artificial flood plains in the Murray-Darling Basin - Melbourne

2.00pm (AWST) - Federal court to rule if Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest’s company FMG will have to compensate the Yindjibarndi for mining their land, Federal Court of Australia - Perth 

ABS data release: Overseas arrivals and departures, March 2026

The Cannes Film Festival begins (until 23 May)

Bahamas general election

Vesak Day (Buddha Day) - the day of the full moon

International Nurses Day 

International Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND)

🌿 International Day of Plant Health

Birthdays for actor Rami Malek (1981), former leader of the Labor Party Bill Shorten (1967), and Homer Simpson (1956)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Florence Nightingale (1820) and Katharine Hepburn (1907)

• Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction premiering at the Cannes Film Festival (1994)

Wednesday
5.00am (AEST) - Eurovision first semi-final - Vienna, watch on SBS