Squiz Today – 11 June 2024

The Squiz 

It wouldn’t be an Australian federal election without the major parties’ emissions reduction policies being front and centre – and so it will be again this time around… On Saturday, Coalition leader Peter Dutton said he would put an energy policy to voters that favours gas in the short term and nuclear power in the long term. And he confirmed he’ll walk away from Labor’s legislated target to cut emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030. Yesterday, PM Anthony Albanese responded, saying “Peter Dutton is walking away from climate action. His decision to abandon the 2030 target means him walking away from the Paris Accord.” 

Umm can you explain that a bit… 

For sure – and let’s start at the top… The landmark Paris Climate Agreement came from a 2015 round of climate talks when the Coalition Government signed Australia up to international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the effects of global warming. Since then, nations have been asked to commit to specific emissions reduction targets in the short and long term. In 2021, then PM Scott Morrison signed us up to net zero emissions by 2050 but wouldn’t set a 2030 target – it was a whole thing at the time… Cue an Albanese win in 2022, and he signed us up to the 2030 target of cutting emissions by 43% – a target that’s been locked in with the United Nations (which oversees these global climate talks). The Labor Government is also a fan of the commitment to hit net zero emissions by 2050. 

So what’s happened in the last few days? 

Dutton says “there’s no sense in signing up to targets you don’t have any prospect of achieving”. Team Albanese says we’re on track for a 42% reduction by 2030, so we might just get there… If you’re wondering ‘does any of this matter’ – it does, for a couple of major reasons. There’s a discussion about whether pulling our short-term target would amount to ‘pulling out of Paris’. The Coalition says it doesn’t, and there needs to be an overhaul in how we power the nation – hence the focus on gas and nuclear. But Labor says it would, and that would leave us “standing with Libya, Yemen and Iran,” Albanese says. There’s also a point about ‘economic certainty’ – that refers to businesses needing clear goalposts because they’re the ones who are investing/changing to reduce their emissions in line with the targets. So yes, it’s a case of déjà vu all over again…

Israel’s set for a war cabinet reshuffle

After months of speculation about his future in Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, Benny Gantz has called it quits. He’s made the decision “with a heavy heart” but put it down to being at odds with Netanyahu over how to bring the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza to an end. After giving the PM a deadline to share the plan – which Netanyahu dismissed – Gantz accused the PM of “preventing us from approaching true victory, which is the justification for the painful ongoing crisis”. Reports say it adds to growing pressure on Netanyahu, despite 4 hostages taken on 7 October being rescued on Saturday – an operation which left at least 274 Palestinians dead. Gantz is also considered a frontrunner to replace Netanyahu as PM and is pushing for an early election. It comes as the UN Security Council voted in favour of a permanent ceasefire proposal brought by the US.

Macron calls for a vote

Speaking of elections, French President Emmanuel Macron has called one after his side of politics took a significant hit in the weekend’s European parliamentary elections with France’s far-right National Party, led by Marine Le Pen, winning a record 31.5% of the nation’s vote. Macron’s decision has come as a shock, and you can get into the nitty-gritty of it here, but Macron’s centrist alliance has been weakened as “far-right parties … are progressing everywhere on the continent”. He said he’d heard the concerns of French people and was confident in their democratic process, saying “France needs a clear majority to act in serenity and harmony”. The vote’s pencilled in for 30 June, with a second-round vote on 7 July. Note: the Paris Olympic Games start on 26 July…

Vale Michael Mosely

The tributes for the British TV doctor have been coming in fast since his wife Dr Clare Bailey confirmed the discovery of his body on the Greek island of Symi after he went missing last week. There’s a reason why his death has had a lot of coverage – chances are you’ve watched/read/listened to some of his science journalism over the years… He spent 2 decades as a presenter/documentary maker on TV shows like Trust Me, I’m a Doctor and, here in Oz, Australia’s Sleep Revolution. Described by many as a “human guinea pig”, he volunteered for countless experiments – like ingesting tapeworms – in the name of science. He also caused waves with his 5:2 diet, which was his response to “cure” his type 2 diabetes, sparking a fasting frenzy… Dr Bailey remembered her husband as “funny, kind and brilliant” and said his “adventurous” spirit was “part of what made him so special”.

Cutting back on the omelettes

Heads up if you like eggs for brekky – Coles has announced a limit of 2 dozen eggs per customer after cases of avian influenza – aka bird flu – were confirmed on a 5th poultry farm in Victoria. Since the virus was detected last month, the Victorian Farmers Federation said about 1 in 16 egg-laying chickens (about 500,000 birds) have been euthanased, causing the egg supply to drop by around 450,000 a day. Victoria’s poultry problem means Coles’ customers across Oz – with the eggception of Western Oz – will be affected. Its major supermarket competitors, Woolworths and Aldi, haven’t announced any limits yet. Rowan McMonnies from Eggs Australia said that’s because the affected farms were suppliers to Coles, and although there’s disruption, it’s not at a crisis point. Eggcellent…

It’s an honour

The King’s Birthday public holiday means an Honours list, so here’s your cheat sheet… There were 737 recipients, so you’ll be pleased to hear we’re focusing on a few big names. The former leaders of Western Oz and Victoria, Mark McGowan and Dan Andrews, received the highest nods for their “service to public health” during the pandemic, being named Companions of the Order of Australia. Not everyone was on board with that… Kamilaroi woman and chef/educator Aunty Beryl Van Oploo was recognised for her service to the Indigenous community and the hospitality industry. Incoming GG Sam Mostyn and former cricket star Glenn McGrath were also on the list for their good deeds. And comedian Hamish Blake was honoured for his contributions to the arts. He says he “didn’t even get the King a birthday present”…

With Japan’s fertility rate on the downslide, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has stepped in to encourage more romance amongst its citizens by releasing a new dating app. They say it’s “‘the first step’ to begin marriage hunting”. So romantic… 

Perhaps tangentially related – over in the US (where the birth rate is also declining), adults are buying more kids’ toys for themselves than any other age group for the first time. A report says the pandemic encouraged swathes of new/older collectors – or maybe humans who need to be soothed… 

And our feline overlords strike again… Singapore has lifted a 34-year ban on keeping cats inside public housing – where about 80% of Singaporeans live. The law was introduced partly because of the potential for “caterwauling sounds” disrupting neighbours, but cat lovers say that was a touch hiss-terical…

10.00am (AEST) – Closing arguments to be delivered in the trial of Gregory Lynn, accused of murdering campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay – Melbourne

10.00am (AEST) – Swimming: Australian Olympic and Paralympic trials (until 15 June) – Brisbane

7.40pm (AWST) – Soccer: FIFA World Cup qualifier, Australia v Palestine – Perth and watch on Channel 10/10play …broadcast starts 9.40pm (AEST) for the east coast

The Queensland Budget for 2024/25 will be handed down

ABS Data Release – Monthly Business Turnover Indicator; April; Total Value of Dwellings; March quarter

Birthdays for Hugh Laurie (1959), Peter Dinklage (1969), and Shia LaBeouf (1986)

Anniversary of:

• the marriage of King Henry VIII to his first wife Catherine of Aragon (1509)
• Captain James Cook happening upon the Great Barrier Reef (1770)
• Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức’s self-immolation at a Saigon intersection, creating one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic images (1963)
• Margaret Thatcher becoming the first UK PM in 160 years to win a 3rd consecutive term (1987)
• the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Jurassic Park (1993)
• The tragic Hunter Valley wedding bus crash that killed 10 people (2023)