Monday, 1 June - Can we go thrift shopping?

June 01, 2026

Good morning, it’s Monday, 1 June. In your Squiz Today…

  • Australia will no longer be getting new submarines under a revised AUKUS pact - just used ones

  • A new poll says One Nation is now the most popular political party in the country on first preference votes

  • And a couple of new horror movies by young directors are scaring up big money…

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“It’s tens of thousands of times brighter than the brightest star in the night sky.”

Said Sydney astronomer Laura Driessen about last night’s blue micromoon - blue because it’s the second full moon in a month, micro because it’s basically as far away from Earth as it gets. If you missed it, bad news - the next one’s not until 2053…

An AUKUS sub-stitution

The Squiz

There’s been a big change to our security agreement with the US and the UK - we’re getting one less new submarine than we were promised. Originally the plan was that the US Navy would give us a mix of new and used Virginia-class subs - but now we’re getting 3 hand-me-downs instead. Speaking about the change at a defence forum in Singapore yesterday, Defence Minister Richard Marles says this will make things simpler and more cost-effective… but some have suggested we’d be better off with vessels fresh off the production line.

Is that a big deal?

Coalition Defence spokesman James Paterson says it might be - he wants an explanation on the change at Senate Estimates this week to understand the implications. Experts have raised a few red flags about it - firstly, that the second-hand subs essentially won’t be as good and won’t last as long, and secondly that the US had changed tack because production of the submarines is so far behind. Analyst Dr Euan Graham said there was a chance that Oz had to accept the new AUKUS deal, because the used subs were “all the Americans are willing to give us.” Another defence expert, Michael Shoebridge, agreed - he said “the US aren’t building enough submarines, so they are keeping the more capable ones for themselves”.

And where are we up to with AUKUS?

You might remember that the US began a review of the pact we signed in 2021 after US President Donald Trump came to power last January - leading to some concern that it would be scrapped. That didn’t happen, and President Trump confirmed the plans were ‘full steam ahead’ last year, but the review was never made public. Reports say (paywall) this change might be linked to that review… As far as our overall security relationship goes, it seems alright for now - US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was also at Singapore for the forum, and he praised Oz for “stepping up” when it came to lifting our defence spending. And as for when we might actually get those pre-loved subs, don’t hold your breath - it won’t be until the early 2030s…

A big AI conversation

CommBank's recent Accelerate AI summit set the stage for CEOs to speak about how AI has moved beyond the adoption phase in many Australian businesses... You can watch the highlights at CommBank Newsroom here, but some key takeaways: Coles is using it to handle supply, delivery and stock across 26,000 products, and it's reshaping how legal work is priced at law firm Gilbert + Tobin. CommBank boss Matt Comyn says, as the tech scales, building trust is critical, as is the pressure to get it right...

Squiz the Rest

Ebola is continuing to spread

Health experts say the number of cases has doubled in 2 days - with the Democratic Republic of Congo recording more than 1,000 infections and at least 246 deaths. The virus has now spread into neighbouring Uganda as health workers continue to struggle to contain the outbreak. There have also been a few cases outside Africa - and a suspected case in Melbourne, but that patient tested negative. Reports say a man returned from Africa last week with Ebola-like symptoms, but after spending time in intensive care - including in a specialised negative pressure ventilation room - doctors gave him the all-clear. Experts say the risk of an outbreak in Oz is low, and have urged anyone who’s been to an impacted country to monitor for symptoms and seek medical attention if they appear.

A changing of the political guard

A poll published last night shows that One Nation is now the most popular political party in the country. In the wake of the federal Budget on 12 May and the weeks of debate that followed, Pauline Hanson’s party now has a primary vote of 31% - 4 points higher than a month ago. That puts it ahead of Labor (28%) and the Coalition (20%) - and if an election was based on this poll, Labor would only narrowly win - with One Nation possibly leading a much stronger Opposition. The surge in One Nation’s popularity also raises the possibility of PM Pauline Hanson, but she’d need to run for a lower house seat for that to happen. She said yesterday that she’s thinking about it - but no decision has been made yet… 

The case of the disappearing concert lineup

An upcoming series of concerts to celebrate the US’s 250th year of independence has become a big news story in recent days, with many of the originally scheduled acts dropping out. The series originally announced 9 performers, including The Commodores, Poison lead singer Bret Michaels and country singer Martina McBride. But those artists have all pulled out, with both Michaels and McBride saying organisers told them the event would be non-partisan before they found out otherwise. Some of the announced artists, like Vanilla Ice, are sticking around - but Trump has a replacement in mind for the ones who aren’t: himself. He won’t be singing (we think) - it’ll just be a speech. Let’s call it an a cappella performance…

It’s North American sporting nirvana…

…over the coming month, with 2 of the big 4 sports leagues heading into finals mode. In the NBA (basketball), the San Antonio Spurs beat reigning champs the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday to make the final 2 - they’ll be playing the New York Knicks in a best-of-7 series for the title beginning Thursday morning. Keep an eye on Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (known as Wemby), who in just his third season, is already a contender for the best player in the league. And in ice hockey, the Stanley Cup final begins Wednesday morning, with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights (fun nicknames in that league), facing off in another best-of-7 series. They’re expected to develop quite the Heated Rivalry…

Wunderkind of scary

A couple of young upstarts have taken Hollywood by storm in recent weeks, with 2 low-budget horror movies dominating the box office. This weekend, Backrooms, a film based largely on a viral online image of a creepy empty room - made over $100 million worldwide on a budget of $15 million. It was directed by 20yo YouTuber Kane Parsons, who isn’t old enough to legally drink in the US, but can make a huge box office hit… Combine that with Obsession (made by another YouTuber, 26yo Curry Barker, for less than $1 million) which has also made well over $100 million in ticket sales after it was released in early May. That makes it one of the most profitable films ever - the only thing scarier than these movies are the ages of the directors…

Apropos of Nothing

In one of their 2 key warmups ahead of the men’s FIFA World Cup on 12 June, the Socceroos went down 1-0 to Mexico yesterday. Before the tournament begins on 12 June, they’ve got one more warm-up this weekend against the Swiss…

It turns out not everyone gets brain freeze from eating ice cream. Scientists say if you experience migraines you’re likely more susceptible, and have encouraged dessert lovers to slow down when diving in. We know, sometimes it’s just too delicious… 

If you’re watching Rivals on Disney+ and are in the market for a new Welsh mansion, you’re in luck - the house owned by Danny Dyer’s character is up for sale. For around $15 million, it can be yours - but you’ll need to grow your own glorious moustache… 

Squiz the Day

8.00am (AEST) - Construction on the Victoria Park stadium - a central part of Queensland’s 2032 Olympic infrastructure - is set to begin, despite more protests against it yesterday - Brisbane

10.00am (AEST) - Pre-trial hearing for 2 nurses charged over an alleged antisemitic video recorded last year - Sydney

10.00am (AEST) - Bail application for Rayann El Houli, a member of the so-called ‘ISIS brides’ group who was arrested and charged with terrorism offences last week - Melbourne

11.00am (AEST) - Socceroos coach Tony Popovic is expected to name his final squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup - California, USA

Day 8 of the French Open (Paris)

Reconciliation Day public holiday in the ACT, Western Australia Day public holiday in Western Australia

Day one of the AIATSIS Summit, forum on First Nations policy, governance, and culture. The 2026 theme is 'Our Truth. Our Power. Our Future.' (until 5 June) - Gold Coast 

Ethiopian will be holding a general election

Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week (until 7 June)

Start of LGBT Pride Month

Start of Migraine Awareness Month

Start of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

World Reef Day

Beard Season (until 31 August)

Birthdays for Morgan Freeman (1937), Heidi Klum (1973), Alanis Morissette (1974), and Amy Schumer (1981)

Anniversary of:

  • Anne Boleyn being crowned Queen of England (1533)

  • the birthday of Marilyn Monroe (1926)

  • the launch of CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news channel (1980)

  • the deaths of Helen Keller (1968) and Yves Saint Laurent (2008)

  • Student debts increasing by 7.1% in line with Australia’s inflation rate (2023)