21 March 2026 - Saturday Squiz

Happy South Australian election day if you’re someone who celebrates - and go the Tillies… This weekend, if you’re getting ready to cheer our soccer women on, partake in the occasional overpriced smoothie, or have anything else you’d like to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

🎧 Listen to the Weekly Wrap with Claire Kimball and Kate Watson

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. Fuel shortages hit parts of the country - Former head of the Australian Energy Regulator Anthea Harris has been announced as the Fuel Supply Taskforce coordinator this week. She’ll be talking/coordinating the national and state governments and the private sector to get petrol/diesel/aviation fuels to where they’re needed as Aussies rush to fill up their tanks in anticipation of a supply problem. PM Anthony Albanese this week said please don’t do that…

2. War in the Middle East isn’t showing signs of slowing down - The conflict against Iran this week turned into an energy war with key oil and gas assets targeted. That’s freaked out global markets again… The Israeli Government also says its military killed 2 more senior Iranian leaders on Tuesday night. And an airbase Australia uses in the UAE was hit by Iran - none of our people were hurt.

3. Queenslanders shelter from the storm - Tropical Cyclone Narelle hit the very top of Queensland yesterday morning, and it’s now on its way across the Gulf to the NT. You can keep up with the latest alerts here - and stay safe if you’re up that way…

4. The Iranian soccer team abandons asylum - Only two members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have remained in Australia, while Iranian authorities say they welcomed the rest of the team home. The two players still in Oz, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, are now training with the Brisbane Roar club.

5. And a close call from the Reserve Bank - A 5-4 vote from the central bank’s board saw the interest rates rise by 0.25%. Governor Michele Bullock said “some people might have to make tough decisions”, but warned of a recession if inflation could not be brought back down from the 3.8%.

It’s you against the news…

Reckon you know who’s hosting the first SNL UK? Test your news knowledge from the last week with the Squiz Quiz.

Pic of the week

The Tillies are through to the Women’s Asian Cup final tonight, and Captain Sam Kerr is showing us how it’s done yet again… Kerr scored the winning goal in the game against China earlier this week, but we’re going into tonight’s game against Japan as the underdog. It wouldn’t be the first time Kerr and her teammates have defied expectations…

A fix for an overstuffed suitcase

If you’re anything like us, packing for the holidays means a bulging suitcase... To help with that, Brisbane brand Simplify Living has created vacuum travel bags that compress with a small handheld pump - squeeze the air out and watch your stack halve in size. Genius... Find out more here.

In the Kitchen

If you keep spending $12 on an afternoon smoothie at your local smoothie shop (ahem…), maybe it’s time to try making one at home. This cinnamon and date smoothie is one we’ve taken a shine to, and it will satisfy that mid-afternoon sweet treat craving.

What we Shortcut for you this week

The oil supply chain - We’ve been hearing a lot about oil and where we get it from since the war in Iran broke out. Oil - and the price of it - affects a lot more than how much we pay for a tank of fuel, so in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll get you across how we’re tackling disruptions and what our options are. Read that here or listen up.

What are data centres? - Data centres have been in the news a lot lately because of AI’s rise and rise. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a look at what they are, what they’re used for and why some experts have concerns about them. Read here or listen here.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - South Australia gets its democracy on… And a few sports finals are happening, with game one of the NBL final between the Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers kicking off at 7pm - you can catch that on Disney+. And the Matildas are playing the Asian Cup final against Japan at 8pm tonight, watch it on 10play.

Sunday - The T20 between the Australian women’s cricket team and the West Indies is on at 9.30am Oz time, you can watch that on 7plus. And there is a general election in Slovenia.

Monday - Federal parliament’s back, and European Union President Ursula Von der Leyen will arrive in Oz for the final stages of locking down a free trade agreement. And International Energy Agency executive director Dr Fatih Birol will address the National Press Club at 12.30pm.

Tuesday - There’s a general election in Denmark, and Victorian public school teachers are set to strike.

Wednesday - Melbourne International Comedy Festival begins, and unlikely to be very funny is the consumer price index for February, which will be released by the ABS.

Thursday - The Sheffield Shield final between Victoria and South Australia begins in Melbourne, watch that on Kayo. And the World Trade Organisation is hosting ministers from around the world in Cameroon to discuss the challenges facing the global trade system. We can think of a couple…

Friday - Game 2 of the NBL final between Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers starts at 7.30pm in Adelaide, watch in on Disney+. And it’s Walk to Work Day, so why not stretch your legs?

*Times in AEDT