1 August 2026 - Saturday Squiz

And just like that, August is upon us… The last vestiges of July brought us a change in leadership in Victoria, as we all took the time to get across who Ben Carroll is, and why he is very much not Jacinta Allan. Just in case that came as a shock to anyone…

Of course, the nation was supposed to be turning its lonely eyes to Victoria this year so we could all watch our Commonwealth Games athletes compete in a non-distressing timezone - but instead, we’re all getting up at ludicrous times to watch the Aussies in Glasgow pick up more medals than a metal detector at Michael Phelps’ place…

This weekend, if you’ve created a brand new midnight snack, watched something great that doesn’t require too much of our brain power (we’re still recovering from The Odyssey) or have anything else you’d like to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

🎧 Listen to the News Club with Kate Watson and Eliza Harvey

And just before we get into it…

We have a big thank you to give out - to you… Every year we launch our annual survey, and every year we’re blown away by the response. This year, we’ve had more answers than ever - crossing our goal of 6,000 responses with time to spare. That means a donation to the Red Cross and a prize for one lucky winner. But what do you know, there’s still time to fill out the survey if you want to have your say - head to this link to find it.

This week’s top 5 news stories

The week’s most mentioned news stories in Australia across TV, radio and print, according to media analytics firm Streem.

1. Raining gold in Glasgow - Australia has dominated at the Commonwealth Games, and they’re not over yet… The Dolphins were especially strong in the pool, where we picked up 37 out of 56 gold medals. Up (bright and early) tomorrow are the mile races - keep an eye out for Cam Myers in the men’s, and Jess Hull as she tries to make history as the first-ever woman to win the event. Then it’s all over red rover until 2030 - the Closing Ceremony starts from 5.00am Monday Oz time.

2. Victoria gets a new Premier - That’s former Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, who was voted in to replace Jacinta Allan on Tuesday. Allan was tipped to lose a leadership spill, but she made the call to resign instead, saying that with an election 4 months away, it was “the right thing by the Labor Party and the Victorian people”. Carroll has a task ahead of him to turn around falling poll numbers, and his first move was to announce a Royal Commission into the corruption-plagued construction sector. 

3. The war in the Middle East escalates - The conflict between the US and Iran has continued to ramp up this week. Iran launched missiles (that were intercepted) on US military bases in Jordan, and the US and Saudi Arabia struck back, hitting Iranian militia groups in Iraq. And the conflict has now drawn in Egypt after a drone attack on commercial ships in the Egyptian Port of Damietta on Wednesday.

4. The AusAlert test goes off - The phones of most Aussies blared out a test of the national emergency siren for a few seconds on Monday at 2.00pm. We like to think we gave Squizers fair warning - but spare a thought for all the news-avoidant teens who snuck phones into class that day… All up, the federal government says the test was “a success” with 94% of phone towers able to receive and broadcast the AusAlert signal, although some people say their phones weren’t reached.

5. And the US raises our tariff rate - US tariffs were back in the headlines this week - they’ve raised them for a bunch of countries including Australia. It means that Aussie goods imported into the US will be hit with a new 12.5% tariff in place of the old 10% rate. They’ve pinned it on our modern slavery laws, saying they don’t go far enough. If that’s got you scratching your head, we’ve got a handy Squiz Shortcut to get you across it all…

It’s you against the news…

Reckon you know the name of Victoria’s new Premier? Test your news knowledge from the last week with the Squiz Quiz.

Pic of the week

Kate Bush fans gathered in droves this week for ‘The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever’ to celebrate her best-known song. They’re a sight to behold in their red gowns - but the flash mob dancing is always the best…

In the Kitchen

We’ve got friends coming over on the weekend and we’re going to roll out this trusty roasted pumpkin dish. You can choose your own adventure here - serve it with a roast chicken or lamb, or let it be the hero and tuck in with some flatbread…

What we Shortcut for you this week

What’s going on with Trump’s tariffs? - The US President’s taxes on imports came back in a big way last week, when he announced that Australia would be subject to a new, 12.5% rate. In a bit of a surprise, the Trump administration used Australia’s forced labour laws to saddle it with the higher rate. To find out how it all links together, have a read here or listen up.

What’s the cockroach uprising in India? - We touched on it in Squiz Today when it started, but the cockroach movement in India, which plays on the dissatisfaction of young people in the world’s most populous country, has really taken off. In the last week or so, it’s led to the resignation of the country’s Education Minister, and drawn the attention of Indian PM Narendra Modi. We explain what it’s all about… Read it here or listen to the pod.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - The Tour de France Femmes begins, with West Aussie Mackenzie Coupland set to make her debut. Allez, Mackenzie…

Sunday - It’s the last day of the Commonwealth Games, with the Closing Ceremony set for 5.00am AEST Monday morning. Look, we love a closing ceremony, but we might watch that one on YouTube at a more reasonable hour… And there might be queues at petrol stations - it’s the last day to get the fuel excise rebate.

Monday - The Northern Territory gets a public holiday, known as Picnic Day… And staying in the Top End, it’s the last day of the Garma Festival which began on Friday.

Tuesday - The COSBOA National Small Business Summit begins in Sydney. Given the small business sector’s reaction to the Albanese Government’s recent tax changes, they’ll have a lot to talk about…

Wednesday - The winner of this year’s Miles Franklin Award is set to be announced in Sydney. Along with the kudos, the winner also gets a $60,000 cheque. Here’s the 6-book shortlist if you’d like something to add to your reading list… And Season 4 of Ted Lasso drops on Apple TV.

Thursday - Immigration Minister Tony Burke will be addressing the National Press Club on the fairly hot-button issue of Australia’s migration program. Expect some conversations emanating from that one…

Friday - And fresh off being sued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Optus is likely to be back in the news today. A parliamentary inquiry’s report into the outage is due to be tabled today, which will look into the cause as well as the response from Optus and the government.

*Times in AEST