Friday, 26 June - Guess who's back, back again

June 26, 2026

Good morning, it’s Friday, 26 June. In your Squiz Today…

  • Independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender have formed a new political party

  • A devastating double earthquake has hit Venezuela

  • And a cosy sticky date pudding…

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 7 minutes to read

🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Anna Pykett, Larissa Huntington, Alice Dempster and Sophie Felice

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“It’s the royal wedding!"

Said NFL star Kyle Juszczyk about the upcoming nuptials of his friends Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Nothing’s confirmed, but New York is buzzing after news that the streets around Madison Square Garden will be closed for a 3-day event involving TSwift from 2 July. Are you ready for it…?

It takes 2

The Squiz

Independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender are launching Australia's newest political party - it's called Community Strong Australia. Speculation has been bubbling away for some time that this was coming, but now it's official. They're billing it as a "responsible alternative" to the major parties, but so far, none of the other so-called teal independents in federal parliament has said they'll join (although some say they're considering it). Spender says it's early days and "from little things big things grow."

A party of independents - how’s that gonna work?

Some have pointed out that this sounds like a bit of a contradiction - if you were elected as an Independent politician, why join a party? But the two Sydney MPs say a formal structure will give them better flexibility to prioritise resources and support multiple candidates than a group of independents working together. The party will have no leader, and they say members will be able to vote however they want on issues in parliament… However, they would have to agree on "core values" regarding policies such as climate change, economic management, equality, and integrity. CSA would need 5 parliamentary members to qualify for "minority party" status - but so far, it's got nada lined up.

So, why now?

The new centrist party wants to appeal to voters who aren’t happy with the major parties - it’s being seen as a response to the rapid growth of One Nation (sidenote: here’s what Pauline Hanson was up to yesterday…) and the turbulence within the Coalition. Steggall says “Australia is tired of the status quo” and “people are worried about what the future holds”. It’s also thought to be in response to new rules on how individuals and organisations can donate to election campaigns. Last year, the federal government passed laws that cap annual donations to $50,000 per candidate, which it argued improved transparency. But many independents say the caps benefit major party campaigns, stifle competition from new challengers, and give them less chance of winning votes. The new party has lodged an application with the Australian Electoral Commission, and its registration is expected to be finalised in October...

Want to know the backstory to the teals? Check out our Squiz Shortcut…

Worksite safety, redefined by Claude

Aussies are transforming safety for mining and construction workers using AI. Presien, a physical AI company built for heavy industry, used Claude to develop an agentic platform that analyses worksites around the clock - surfacing risks before they become issues, cutting critical safety events by over 70% in 3 months. Learn more here.

Squiz the Rest

Back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela

The South American country has been shaken by 2 large earthquakes in quick succession - the strongest in a century - which have left at least 188 people dead and more than 1,500 injured. The toll is expected to rise into the thousands, given the quakes had magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, and hit a densely populated area about 160km west of the capital Caracas. They struck on Wednesday afternoon local time, causing dozens of buildings to collapse, and reports say the coastal region of La Guaira has been hardest hit… Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of emergency as rescuers worked through the night to find people trapped in the rubble, and foreign rescue teams have been called in to help.

Fortescue’s facing a class action

Female workers at the mining giant owned by Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest have filed a class action lawsuit alleging they’ve been subjected to sexual harassment, discrimination and violence at its remote sites in Western Oz. Lead lawyer Paris Hamrey says the allegations range from “serious sexual assaults through to day-to-day micro aggressions”. It’s not the first time the mining industry has had a reckoning over its treatment of female workers - and thousands of women have joined class actions against BHP and Rio Tinto which are also before the courts. Fortescue said it's committed to a "safe, respectful and inclusive workplace" but Hamrey said mining companies need to "strengthen their policies, actually enforce the policy, and provide a space where women feel safe to work".
*Need help?

The sun sets for Karl on Today

Between reportedly resigning from his 20-year gig at Nine, getting a job offer from Pauline Hanson, and talking with ARN about his future, it’s been an eventful 24 hours for Karl Stefanovic. In case you haven’t been following along, Stefanovic’s friendly podcast interview with British far-right figure Tommy Robinson on The Karl Stefanovic Show didn’t go down well with Nine bosses and was deleted from platforms. He’s meant to co-host his new radio show The Long Weekend with Eddie McGuire today on ARN, but McGuire will be flying solo for the shift while talks continue in the background. Reports say the network is concerned about losing more advertisers. Meanwhile, fans are rallying on Today and social media to show #IstandwithKarl…

Let’s Para-gooooo

If you’re on the Socceroos bandwagon like us at Squiz HQ, then props to you, that thing is getting crowded. Speaking of crowds, expect them in pubs, fan zones and streets all over Oz at midday (everywhere but the office, really). That’s because we’re playing Paraguay in our final group match before the World Cup moves into the knockout stage. Now, while we want to win, even a draw means we’d finish second in our group, and there’s still a strong chance we’ll make it through anyway, because of our 2-0 win over Turkey in the first game. The bad news: key defender Jacob Italiano is injured - and as for young gun Nestory Irankunda, all eyes will be on Tony Popovic’s team sheet to see where he'll be in the line-up - it gets released just over an hour before kick-off. You can catch the action at 12pm east coast time on SBS. C’mon Aussies…
*Want to get to know our players a bit better? Check out our Squiz Shortcut to the Socceroos WC squad…

Neil the Seal is back, bigger than ever 

The 5yo elephant seal has returned to his home turf and he’s back to his old tricks… Neil was born in Salem Bay on the Tassie Peninsula in 2020 and has been habitually returning to land over the years, so he’s become a bit of a local legend… But he now weighs over a tonne, and being the teenage boy that he is in seal years, he’s been giving conservation workers some ‘tude, refusing to budge when they tried to move him from a road where he was blocking traffic this week. Some have criticised their methods, but the Tassie government has assured Neil’s supporters that they’re safe and approved. Locals have been warned to keep their distance from Neil for his safety and their own - hard we know, when there’s just so much of him to love…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Staying in this weekend? Going out? Either way, Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, might be a good soundtrack… We’ve had it on repeat since it dropped (The Cure is a standout…), and we’ve also enjoyed this look into her (much-debated) wardrobe choices…

Speaking of sad girls in love, we can recommend rom-com Voicemails for Isabelle. It’s being called a modern You’ve Got Mail, but it’s also a lovely ode to the bond between sisters… Find it on Netflix - and keep the tissues handy…

And we’re pulling out all the winter classics to make ourselves cosy, and Donna Hay’s sticky date pudding is high on that list. Insider tip: add a dash of cinnamon to the sauce for an authentic butterscotch flavour. It’s so good…

Squiz the Day

Friday
12.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: FIFA World Cup Australia v Paraguay, Group D - Santa Clara, watch on SBS (C’mon Aussies…)

2.00pm (AEST) - Bail decision for 53yo Kawsar Ahmad, one of the 2 'ISIS brides' charged with slavery offences - Melbourne 

King Charles is set to share his personal tax bill 

Rare Cancers Awareness Day

🐕 Take Your Dog to Work Day 

Birthdays for actor Nick Offerman (1970), actor Aubrey Plaza (1984) and singer/actor Ariana Grande (1993)

Anniversary of:

  • the invention of the toothbrush in China using boar bristles (1498)

  • the signing of the UN Charter (1945)

  • Elvis Presley’s last ever performance (1977)

  • the publication of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)

  • Kevin Rudd rolling Julia Gillard to become PM for the second time (2013)

Saturday
7.30pm (AEST) - Netball: Super Netball preliminary final between the Vixens and Fever - Melbourne, watch on Kayo 

🎂 National Ice Cream Cake Day

National Bingo Day

Birthdays for fashion designer Vera Wang (1949),  director J. J. Abrams (1966), actor Tobey Maguire (1975), reality TV star Khloe Kardashian (1984)

Anniversary of:

  • the publication of the first women’s magazine, the Ladies’ Mercury (1693)

  • the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith killed by a mob in jail (1844)

  • the birthday of Helen Keller (1880)

  • the US entering the Korean War (1950)

  • the world’s first ATM being installed in London (1967)

Sunday
10.00am (ACST) - The Darwin Beer Can Regatta 

11.00pm (AEST) - Motorsports: Formula One Austria Grand Prix - Spielberg, watch on Kayo 

11.30pm (AEST) - Cricket: Women's T20 World Cup Australia v India - London, watch on Prime Video

New Caledonians head to the polls for provincial elections 

SHOUT AWAY, ITS CAPS LOCK DAY

Birthdays for comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks (1926), actor Kathy Bates (1948), actor John Cusack (1966), and tech trillionaire Elon Musk (1971)

Anniversary of:

  • Catherine the Great declaring herself sovereign ruler of Russia (1762)

  • the coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey (1838)

  • the patenting of the saxophone by Antoine-Joseph “Adolfe” Sax (1846)

  • the last stand of the Kelly Gang at Glenrowan (1880)

  • the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria (1914)

  • the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI and establishing the League of Nations (1919)

  • the start of the Stonewall Riots (lasting 3 days) in Greenwich Village, New York (1969)