Thursday, 27 August - I'm going home

August 27, 2026

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 27 August. In your Squiz Today…

  • Coles and Woolies make a profit

  • Hundreds are missing after a flash flood hits the Nepal-Tibet border

  • And remembering an icon… 👸🏼

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Being compared to you has been one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received, even though it’s a comparison no one could ever hope to live up to".

Said actor Luke Evans, who recently played Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show - paying tribute to British actor Tim Curry, who’s died at 80yo. He was known for playing villains - but is being remembered as a true gentleman…

Bagging a profit

The Squiz

Our 2 biggest supermarkets Coles and Woolies have been back in the spotlight this week after posting their results for the last financial year. Both companies have faced increased public scrutiny throughout the year over their prices after competition watchdog the ACCC took them to court for offering allegedly fake discounts. But both posted higher than expected profits, and given there’s a cost of living crisis, people had questions…

Unpack it for me…

Yesterday, Woolworths Group posted a profit of $1.14 billion, up by 18%. And in its Oz supermarkets division, sales rose 4.6% to $53.9 billion - but CEO Amanda Bardwell says it’s due to people buying more, rather than higher prices. Basically, people still have to eat, and if they’re staying in more, they’re putting more in their trolleys… Coles’ profit was $1.09 billion, up 1%, with supermarket sales growth of 3.7% to $41.5 billion. Boss Leah Weckert said strong online growth had played a part there. Both groups’ results were reduced by payments owed to staff after the Federal Court last year found they hadn’t kept accurate records of staff rosters or overtime... Parking that, most of the headlines have been focused on the start of this next financial year, with Woolies’ Ooshies campaign boosting sales by up to 2% - and denting Coles’ numbers.

And while we’re talking groceries…

The Bureau of Stats released inflation figures yesterday. The Consumer Price Index is our measure for inflation - it tracks how much an average basket of goods has gone up. Groceries are in that, along with essentials like housing and clothing, so it’s timely… And the latest figures show that prices in Oz are 3.5% higher than they were a year ago. That’s higher than economists were expecting, and even though the rate that it’s rising at has eased - it’s down from 3.8% the previous month - it’s above what the Reserve Bank would like it to be. And underlying inflation - the number the Reserve Bank watches, which has temporary price jumps taken out - stayed at 3.6% for a third month (again, higher than the bank’s target range of between 2-3%). Cue some economists predicting an interest rate rise when the bank meets again next month…

Taking the first step

Financial abuse is more common than many people realise, with research showing one in 4 Australians are affected, but there is support available. Through its Next Chapter program, CommBank helps people learn more about financial abuse, understanding the signs, and where to reach out for information or for support. It works with specialist organisations to offer that support and help people move toward long-term financial independence. Find out more here, or call 1800 222 387 Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm (AEST).

Squiz the Rest

Aussies missing in Nepal flash floods

Local authorities say a chunk of ice from a glacier between Nepal and Tibet fell more than 500 metres into a river in a Himalayan valley, triggering a massive landslide that swept away entire villages, roads, bridges, houses, and power projects in seconds. The region is popular with tourists for its trekking, mountaineering adventures, and sacred pilgrimage paths, and officials say at least 150 people have been killed and hundreds of visitors from 28 countries are missing, including 34 Aussies. Initially, the US Geological Survey thought it was an earthquake, but it says the shaking had been caused by the powerful landslide itself, which was the equivalent of a magnitude 5.2 quake. It happened around 9am local time on Wednesday (1pm AEST yesterday), and search and rescue efforts are underway.

Meta agrees to US child safety changes

The owner of Facebook and Instagram has agreed to pay $23.6 billion in its youth addiction case with 29 US states - along with making what’s being described as significant changes to its platforms. The multi-billion-dollar tech company says it’ll limit how long kids can spend on its apps, disabling ‘like’ counters, as well as measures to tackle doomscrolling. The case ended without a verdict, and although Meta has settled, it maintains that it didn’t design its platforms to be addictive. It’s called for other platforms like TikTok and YouTube to make similar changes, saying when teens are restricted on one app, they move on to another. Analysts are now watching to see if the changes are picked up by other countries outside the US.

Federal MP Luke Gosling stands aside…

… as the Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans Affairs and Northern Oz, because he’s facing criminal charges of assault and now, breaching his bail conditions too. You might remember last month the Darwin MP made headlines over an alleged assault incident involving the NT Administrator David Connolly (that’s the territory’s equivalent of a state governor) - which is thought to have taken place at the NT Thailand Grand Festival in Darwin. Gosling denies all the charges against him, but he’s said he’d step aside until the matter’s been dealt with in court “due to the ongoing media attention and the distraction this is causing” the government. The Coalition has been calling for him to stand aside as a special envoy for weeks. Gosling’s due to appear in Darwin Local Court on 30 September.

Public hearings wrap at the Royal Commission

The inquiry into antisemitism and social cohesion has finished public hearings 2 days ahead of schedule. In her closing remarks, Commissioner Virginia Bell announced that the final report would be pushed back by 4 days so it didn’t distract from commemorations on 14 December, the anniversary of the Bondi Beach terror attack. The inquiry wrapped up despite a group of 30 defence and national security leaders calling for it to be extended, saying it was “regrettable” that federal ministers hadn’t given evidence and that the inquiry hadn’t allowed enough time for a detailed review of the rise of antisemitism, Islamist and other forms of extremism in Oz. But Commissioner Bell said it had met the terms of the inquiry, and she’ll deliver her report on 18 December. 

Remembering an icon

We’re giving you a double dose of Dolly Parton because for big chunks of yesterday there was no other story in town. Leading the tributes was her 9 to 5 co-star Jane Fonda, alongside Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, who released statements, while many more of her peers posted memories on socials… She’s been remembered as a talent who transcended music and the entertainment industry, who was loved by all walks of life. She was also known for her sassy one-liners - she was once asked how she dealt with being called a dumb blonde - to which she replied: “I’m not offended because I know I’m not dumb, and I also know I’m not blonde.” If you’ve got a few spare minutes, here’s a gift link to the New York Times obituary, and here’s The Guardian’s gallery of her life in pictures…

Apropos of Nothing

Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth is now a co-owner in Sydney-based distillery Archie Rose. The company is taking its whisky to the US for the first time later this year, and who doesn’t want to taste an offering from The God of Thunder from down under… 

In the crossover we never knew we needed, Martha Stewart and Off Campus star Belmont Cameli have teamed up for Starbucks to announce the return of the cultural institution that is the pumpkin spice latte (or PSL, IYKYK)... 

And Aussie Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn - aka Raygun - has a new Netflix documentary Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly dropping on 1 September. With classic moves like the kangaroo hop and the sprinkler, we’ll never understand why she didn’t win gold…

Squiz the Day

7.00am (AEST) - Day 2 of The 2026 National Bush Summit. PM Anthony Albanese is expected to address the summit - Dubbo 

9.00am (AEST) - AGM for accounting software firm Xero

Golf: European Tour British Masters, The Belfry Hotel & Resort (until 30 August) - Sutton Coldfield, watch on Kayo 

Wesfarmers, Qantas and Star Entertainment Group full-year financial results released 

Affordable Art Fair Melbourne begins (until 30 August)

ABS data release: private new capital expenditure and expected expenditure, June 2026; regional population by age and sex, 2025; monthly household spending indicator, July 2026

World Lake Day

Independence Day in Moldova

International Boxing Day

Birthdays for fashion designer Tom Ford (1961) and former Formula One driver Mark Webber (1976)

Anniversary of:

  • the birth of US President Lyndon B Johnson (1908) 

  • the first publication of the Guinness Book of World Records (1955)

  • the premiere of Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964)

  • Lord Mountbatten, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, being killed by the IRA (1979)

Housekeeping

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