Tuesday, 28 July - I want candy

July 28, 2026

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 28 July. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Victorian Premier is facing a leadership challenge

  • Wildfires burn in France and Spain

  • And a snack saga in Hobart… 🍫

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

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We’ve now crossed our goal of 6000 responses for our audience survey, and it’s all thanks to you. It’s still open if you’d like to get involved, and will take about 10 minutes of your time. As a bonus, you could win something. Head to this link. Thanks legends...

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“No one watching The Goodies ever grew up.”

Is what Bill Oddie would say to fans who told him they ‘grew up’ watching him in the 1970’s trio he formed with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden… The comedian and avid birdwatcher has died aged 85yo. He’ll be remembered for Ecky Thump (martial arts with black pudding as a weapon), but he always said “ludicrous is good”...

A challenge in Allantown

The Squiz

We mentioned there were rumblings yesterday of a possible leadership challenge in Victoria, and this morning they’re blaring louder than the AusAlert alarm for Premier Jacinta Allan… Just 4 months out from the state election, Labor’s Allan has been put on notice from her Deputy Premier Ben Carroll that he’ll challenge for her job this morning. He previously said he wouldn’t do that, but yesterday he justified his decision, saying it wasn’t an easy one to make “but the stakes at the upcoming election are simply too high”. 

Back it up…

You might remember that Allan took over as Victorian Premier in September 2023 after Dan Andrews resigned. She’s been under pressure for months on many fronts - corruption allegations involving publicly funded projects, skyrocketing state debt (the highest in the country…), ongoing strikes from teachers and healthcare staff, rising youth crime, and a rise in support for One Nation, to name a few. All of which has translated to falling polls (paywall)… It came to a head yesterday when a group of senior Labor MPs met with Allan and urged her to step down or face a challenge. Reports say she refused and instead ordered the ministers to resign, which they wouldn’t do. Cue an awkward and “icy” Cabinet meeting (paywall) with all present at the same table…

What happens now?

Victorian Labor MPs will hold a caucus meeting this morning, where they’ll move a motion for a leadership spill - aka when a political party declares its top positions open, and members then vote for who’ll lead them. If it passes, nominees will step forward - in this case, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll. Allan has already said she’ll contest it, triggering a weeks-long vote where both MPs and party members get a say. The rule was introduced to stop sudden leadership knifings after the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years, but it’d mean an interim leader being installed - which, according to some, is a “nightmare scenario” for a party with an election around the corner. On that note, Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson says Victorians “have had enough”, and she plans to introduce a motion of no confidence in parliament to force an early ballot.

Looking a little closer…

Financial abuse can happen to anyone, and the reason it can be difficult to spot is because it doesn’t always look the way we might expect. Things like being monitored when you spend money, needing permission to make purchases, or being excluded from financial decisions entirely… Over time, those behaviours can take away your independence and make it harder for someone to leave a situation safely. Support is available through CommBank’s Next Chapter program even if you don’t bank with CommBank.

Squiz the Rest

Europe battles a blaze

More than 300,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain, with blazes burning in multiple locations across both countries, including near the French city of Bordeaux and the Spanish capital Madrid. At least 3 people have died, including two French firefighters. Experts say these emergencies are linked to climate change, with the recent record-breaking heatwaves making the hotter, drier conditions that allow fires to spread faster and burn more fiercely more likely. French fire-service spokesman Eric Brocardi says the country is in a “race against time” before temperatures are expected to rise again from tomorrow, while a European Commission official says the wildfire season (which started in April) could last until early November.

Oil in the details

PM Anthony Albanese is in Western Oz today, and he’s set to announce the first step in building our first new oil refinery in 60 years. Our reliance on importing foreign oil has been thrown into sharp focus by the recent conflict in Iran, which has put pressure on our fuel reserves as imports have become harder to get. In the 2000s, we had 8 refineries but we now have just the 2, one in Queensland and one in Victoria. But we’re not building a new one right away - before any construction starts, the government’s funding a pre-feasibility study to check if a new refinery is workable. Even if it is, it’ll likely raise concerns from conservationists, and take a while to build - in the meantime, the Treasury Department says there’s no sign of oil prices dropping anytime soon… 

You say tomato, I say I’m not sure

A Four Corners investigation into our food has raised a few concerns that we might not be getting what we’re paying for… The program used a forensic testing lab to check common grocery products and found that often, what’s on the label isn’t what’s in the packet. One example was a packet of Leggo’s tomato paste - which prominently says it uses Australian-grown tomatoes - and found that in most cases, they used Chinese tomatoes instead. Other examples included turmeric that was mixed with iron oxide, Woolworths home brand eggs that came from caged hens despite claiming to be cage-free, and alcohol mixed with methanol. In most cases, the companies in question have rejected the forensic testing’s findings - but it’s leading to calls as to whether we need a dedicated office to tackle food fraud, as the UK does.

A golden start to the Commonwealth Games

Australia is leading the medal tally in Glasgow with 25 gold, 11 silver and 19 bronze. There are heaps of great stories, but highlights include Cam McEvoy completing his gold medal trifecta by winning the men’s 50m freestyle - and setting a new Commonwealth record. Kai Taylor’s swim to clinch gold in the 4x200m men’s freestyle relay from a bodylength behind was something else - and his swimming legend mum Hayley Lewis was there cheering him on. Another famous face in the stands is former red Wiggle Murray Cook - he’s there for his daughter, Wombats wheelchair basketballer Georgia Munro-Cook. They beat South Africa 20-5 on Sunday, but some were also watching the off-court action - if there’s a gold medal going for broom moves, this guy’s surely got it…
*For more on the background to the Glasgow Games and who to watch, check out our Squiz Shortcut…

Food, inglorious food

There’s a snack-gate saga unfolding in Tassie, involving a councillor who took food and drinks from her work office over several years… The treats in question include soft drinks, wine, beer, nuts, chips and chocolates - and the issue here is the refreshments are paid for by ratepayers, and apparently only meant to be consumed on council premises. Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock has already said sorry, as well as referred herself to Tasmania's Integrity Commission (which dismissed the case) - but some of her colleagues think she should resign, and even the police have been involved. Council elections are happening in Tasmania in October - and Councillor Sherlock thinks it’s an attempt to create “public distrust" in her. It’s anything but elementary…

Apropos of Nothing

In more evidence that ancient Greece is having a moment, Mount Olympus - mythical home of the Greek gods - has been added to UNESCO’s world heritage list. It’s getting a nod along with South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo landscape - home to one of the largest land mammal migrations. A bit like people on their way to see The Odyssey…

Charlie Verco, the volunteer lifeguard who saved a Sydney mother after she was bitten by a shark at Coogee Beach 6 weeks ago, has paddled to victory at the Paddleboard World Championships in Hawaii on Sunday. It was his fourth win - and this time he broke the world record.

It’s been 42 years since the Prince movie Purple Rain came out - and now it’s getting a Broadway stage adaptation. If you’re lucky enough to be in New York next year, you might be able to see The Kid’s story in all its onstage glory…

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEST) - Hearing block 6 in the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion begins, focusing on guidance, training and frameworks to respond to antisemitic conduct (until 31 July) - Sydney

9.00am (AEST) - Australian Clean Energy Summit, speakers include Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen (until 29 July) - Sydney 

9.30am (AEST) - CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific, speakers include representatives from Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, and the Tourism and Transport Forum - Adelaide 

1.05pm (AEST) - Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock will speak at the Anika Foundation Fundraising Lunch - Sydney 

7.45pm (AEST) - Football: Sydney Super Cup Chelsea FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC - Sydney, watch on 10 

Australian Bureau of Stats release: understanding child mobility in Australia, 2006-2021; marriages and divorces, 2025

Australian Bureau of Stats to release the 2026 Census product guide

Independence Day in Peru

Birthdays for Garfield creator Jim Davis (1945) and Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn (1952)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of author Beatrix Potter (1866) and former FLOTUS Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929)

• the invention of the hamburger in Connecticut (1900)

• the beginning of WWI, after Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia (1914)

• the New York release of Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951)

• the Provisional Irish Republican Army calling an end to their decades-long armed campaign in Northern Ireland (2005)

• the Australian Defence Force MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crash during a training exercise off the Queensland coast that killed 4 members (2023)