Wednesday, 21 May - I'm ridin' solo

May 21, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 21 May. In your Squiz Today…

  • It’s Splitsville for the Coalition

  • Israel is facing international pressure over its Gaza offensive

  • And the billionaires giving away a fortune…💰

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We’re aiming high…

If you do our 2025 Squiz Survey after you’ve Squized the news, not only will it make you smarter/better looking, but you’ll also make us so happy. Imagine the satisfaction you’ll feel when your response lands with a very grateful Team Squiz - people tell us it’s overwhelming... Thanks if you’ve already got stuck in - legend.

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Those responsible for this audacious heist… were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly. You foolishly agreed to assist.”

Said Judge Ian Pringle to Frederick Doe, who tried to help a burglar cash in on a $9.8 million golden loo stolen from a British palace. Despite the tongue-lashing, Doe managed to dodge prison, copping a 2-year suspended sentence - so he hasn’t flushed his whole life away…

It’s Splitsville for the Coalition

The Squiz

Breaking up is hard to do, but Nationals leader David Littleproud ripped off the Band-Aid yesterday… He says his party will not renew the Coalition Agreement with the Liberals following their election defeat on 3 May. He made the call after negotiations with the Libs' new leader Sussan Ley didn’t go well - Littleproud pointed to disagreement over policies like nuclear energy as the main sticking point, but Ley said it wasn’t the policies themselves but whether the 2 parties could present a united front that was a bigger issue. She said she’s “disappointed” by Littleproud’s decision.

How big a deal is this split?

Well, the Coalition in its current form dates back to the 1940s, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing… National Party leader Doug Anthony (the politician, not the comedy group…) broke it off back in 1972 due to issues with then Liberal leader William McMahon - but they were back together to fight the next election in 1974. Since then, things have been pretty rosy, aside from some trouble with the Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen in 1987. That’s a long way of saying that this is a pretty big moment in the history of Aussie politics... And there’s no longer a formal Coalition opposition with 43 House of Reps seats to take on Labor’s 93 - the opposition will now be the Liberals with 28 seats. The Nationals will be the next biggest party with 15 (with counting still going on in a few electorates). 

What does it mean?

We’re in uncharted waters in the modern political era, so let’s see. But it could be bad for both parties for one main reason - under the Coalition Agreement, if there is an incumbent Lib/Nats member in place, the other party won’t run a candidate. To see how things play out at an election in a no-agreement world, look no further than the recent election result in Bullwinkel. To explain: it was a new seat, so there was both a Lib and Nat candidate running. What happened was they split Coalition supporters’ votes, and Labor sailed through the middle to win... That’s why former PM John Howard has urged the parties to “reform as quickly as possible”, and both Ley and Littleproud say they’re open to it before the next poll. 2025 - it’s the election that keeps on giving… 

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Squiz the Rest

Israel faces international pressure

Leaders from the UK, France and Canada have warned Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that they will take action against his country if it follows through on promises to “take control” and “wipe out” what remains of Palestinian Gaza. The trio say they “won’t stand by” if Israel “does not cease the renewed military offensive” - and overnight, the UK took things a step further by suspending trade talks. Separately, our Foreign Minister Penny Wong was one of 23 international leaders to co-sign another letter criticising Israel. You can read about it here, but it's calling for Israel to end its blockade of aid into Gaza as a growing number of agencies warn civilians are facing famine. Netanyahu says the criticism is “offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities”.

What goes up must come down…

As predicted, the Reserve Bank has cut our cash rate by 0.25 percentage points - the second cut it’s made this year. It brings the cash rate (aka the nation’s official interest rate, which the banks generally base their rates on) to 3.85% - the first time it’s below 4% in 2 years. Reports say it’s a sign the Reserve Bank board is feeling good about our years-long high inflation rate being tamed - and is cautious of keeping rates too high as US tariffs cause economic uncertainty around the world… In her post-meeting presser yesterday, Governor Michele Bullock acknowledged that the drawn-out period of “relatively high interest rates” has been tricky for many Aussie borrowers, but said we’ve avoided “a big increase in unemployment” from any sharp changes - something backed up by the official data last week.

Record rainfall in NSW

The NSW Mid North Coast and Hunter Valley regions have copped a battering this week, with some parts recording up to 270mm of rain in a 24-hour period. The downpours have caused flash flooding in several towns, with multiple emergency evacuation warnings still in place. NSW SES Northern Zone Commander Andrew Cribb says several areas have experienced “unprecedented rainfall” - a term we’ve become very used to in recent years. The Bureau of Meteorology (aka the BOM) has said the strong winds/dangerous surf conditions that parts of coastal NSW have been experiencing began to ease yesterday. But if you’re in affected parts of NSW, hold onto your hats (and wellies…) for a while longer - the rain is forecast to continue through to the end of the week…

Giving away a fortune

One of Oz’s richest couples has promised to give away at least half of all they earn over the course of their life. Cameron Adams is worth around $7 billion after co-founding the graphic design tech company Canva. He and his wife Lisa Miller (not the ABC’s Lisa Millar) have now signed up to The Giving Pledge - a campaign started by billionaires including Bill & Melinda Gates - to encourage fellow rich-listers to give away most of what they make. Adams and Miller are going to focus on “urgent environmental issues” saying “philanthropy has a unique ability to drive bold action, fund innovation, and catalyse change at scale”. His fellow Canva co-founders already promised to give their wealth away a few years ago - and mining boss Andrew Forrest and his former wife Nicola were some of the first Aussies to sign up to the pledge… 

Adios to Airbnb

If you’re like half our mates planning a Euro-summer vacay … you might be weighing up if adding Spain to your itinerary is such a great idea… The Government there has just escalated its ongoing fight with Airbnb - ordering it to remove 66,000 properties from its platform. Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy reckons he told the company months ago that some of the listings weren’t licenced or had fake numbers - and it still hasn’t complied. Things have been pretty heated for visitors to the European hotspot for about a year now - kicking off with a “tourists go-home” protest in Barcelona that quickly spread to other popular cities. But if you do wanna escape the Aussie winter for somewhere the locals actually want you… Conde Nast rates Costa Rica, Thailand and the Maldives as the friendliest (and warmest) places for a break… 

Apropos of Nothing

It’s taken the world to force chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen into a draw. The Norwegian grandmaster was up against 143,000 people - collectively The World - in an online freestyle match and his king was cornered 3 times. Carlsen said Team World played “sound” chess from the start. Feeling smug? Check.

A new species of flapjack octopus has been discovered by scientists off the coast of WA. Growing to a max of 4cm wide, this jelly-like creature gets its name from its ability to flatten itself into a pancake - but unlike a regular pancake, it's also got a pair of fins on its head.

And police have accidentally discovered a bust of Jim Morrison 37 years after it disappeared from his grave in Paris’ Père-Lachaise cemetery. Found with some fresh graffiti and missing a nose, the statue was a popular photo op for Doors fans, but whether it’ll be returned to the plot is still up in the air…

Squiz the Day

🥳 Happy 7th birthday to the Squiz Today Podcast

Sydney commuters are being told to avoid non-essential travel on the train network as delays continue following an incident yesterday afternoon where a train became entangled in overhead lines, bringing down a 1500-volt wire onto one of its carriages, trapping 300 passengers inside - Sydney

8.00am (AEST) - The Australian Renewable Energy Zones Conference gets underway - Sydney

10.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: Women’s Asian Champions League semi-final Melbourne City v Incheon Red Angels, watch it on 10 Play

12.00pm (AEST) - Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will address the State Budget Lunch at the Melbourne Press Club - Melbourne

12.30pm (AEST) - National Labor Press Secretary Paul Erickson will speak at the National Press Club - Canberra

ABS Data Release - Monthly employee earnings indicator, March 2025

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare will deliver a report on endometriosis

Mining Summit 2025, hosted by the AFR - Perth

Crankworx Cairns begins (on until 25 May) - Cairns

Start of Kidney Health Week (until May 27)

Wear Orange Wednesday in celebration of SES volunteers

Birthdays for musician Leo Sayer (1948), actor and former wrestler Mr T (1952), comedian Noel Fielding (1973), musician Gotye (1980), and fitness influencer Kayla Itsines (1991)

Anniversary of

  • Aviator Charles Lindbergh becoming the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic (1927)

  • Amelia Earhart becoming the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic (1932)

  • The birthday of rapper The Notorious BIG (1972)

  • The Labor party led by Anthony Albanese winning the federal election (2022)