Tuesday, 30 June - I feel it in my toes

June 30, 2026

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 30 June. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Antisemitism Royal Commission resumes

  • The property market slows down

  • And the clear-shoe trends coming to toes near you…🦶🏻

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

‘Not the most appetising description, we know, but the combination of “seafood freshness + sweet milk + salty soy sauce” is sure to shock your taste buds.’

Said a journo about - maybe put your brekkie aside for this - oyster-infused soft serve, which is apparently all the rage in Japan right now… It’s served with a special soy sauce and costs just over $5 - tempted?

Zooming in on the media

The Squiz

The third block of public hearings at the Royal Commission into Antisemitism got underway yesterday, and this time the focus is on the media. Over the next 2 weeks, the inquiry, which was set up in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, will hear evidence from witnesses about antisemitic content and hate speech spread online through social media and other platforms, as well as through traditional media and broadcasting. Opening the hearings, Counsel Assisting Richard Lancaster said the online environment - and social media platforms in particular - are “perhaps the most significant vector for the spread of antisemitism and hate in the community”.

Strong words… So who will we hear from?

The ABC and SBS will be called to give evidence, after several complaints to the commission were received about their coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. Lancaster said some submissions claimed the public broadcasters “have produced coverage that is inaccurate or unbalanced, both in their selection of stories and focus and in the reportage that they produce”. Both have defended their coverage and made their own submissions. The inquiry’s also expected to hear from social media giant Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp), as well as Google, LinkedIn and TikTok. Lancaster said those platforms had “engaged meaningfully” while X and Telegram had ignored inquiries, and US app Gab Social was “openly hostile”.

Who kicked things off yesterday?

One of the first witnesses was Bondi terror attack survivor Arsen Ostrovsky, who told the inquiry that a deepfake image of him covered in blood and holding an Academy Award went viral about 2 hours after the shootings. He said an image of his injuries shared to X prompted messages of “solidarity, but there was almost immediately an influx of hate, of abuse, of vilification, of AI manipulation”, and that the online abuse he copped was “relentless” and “vicious”. The inquiry also heard from Jewish businessman Steven Lowy, who said his family had been targeted by more than 15,000 examples of “very unpleasant” online abuse. He said “the volume of this is enormous and we are just one family”. With this block of hearings continuing until 10 July, there’s more to come…

Before you hit send…

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Squiz the Rest

The US and Iran agree to stand down

The countries have agreed to stop attacking each other in and around the Strait of Hormuz, and will meet again for more talks today in Qatar. They were meant to happen in Switzerland, but they’ve been moved to Doha, with the specific topic of the Strait on top of the agenda. For now, the shipping channel, which is crucial for the world’s oil supplies, is open to commercial traffic, but reports say the volume remains a fraction of pre-war levels. The next round of talks come after tit-for-tat strikes between the 2 sides over the weekend, with both claiming the other had breached the terms of the current ceasefire. There’s been no word from Iran, but the US says the terms for the memorandum of understanding are still “on track”. 

Our latest Pacific pact

After months of negotiations, PM Anthony Albanese has signed a security pact with Vanuatu, while leader Jotham Napat visited Canberra yesterday. It’s called the Nakamal Agreement - and it basically means that Australia will be Vanuatu’s main policing and security partner going forward… but getting to this point hasn’t been plain sailing. These negotiations have been taking place as the tussle between Oz and China for influence in the Pacific continues - some experts have said this announcement will be seen as a blow to Beijing, which has been trying to get its own security pact over the line with Vanuatu, but it’s not been signed yet... This latest agreement follows Oz pacts with Tuvalu, Nauru and PNG - with one in the works for Tonga too.

A poorly property market

It’s been a slow few weeks for anyone with a ‘For Sale’ sign on their front lawn, but last weekend reached a new low, with auction clearance rates falling to their lowest level in nearly 5 years. It’s being felt hardest in the capital cities, with Sydney hitting a 6-year low of 47.3% and Melbourne moving just over half of its stock - but the worst result was in Brisbane, where only 39.3% of houses sold. (A clearance rate above 60% is generally seen as a balanced market). Adelaide was the stand-out with a rate of 68.7%. AMP economist Diana Mousina says the downturn is due to fewer investors looking to put their money into property “as a result of the budget changes”. But PM Anthony Albanese says the “housing system is broken” and we had to do something about it.

That’s an (early) wrap for Waitress

The Oz run of the Broadway musical will end early because ticket sales were too low. The show wraps its Melbourne leg on July 19, and was due to carry on to Sydney - but Crossroads Live Australia chief executive John Frost says “the challenging economic conditions currently facing audiences” are having a significant impact on the live entertainment industry. This follows the Michael Cassel group calling curtain early on Beetlejuice last week. Sydney Theatre Company’s CEO Anne Dunn reckons theatre-goers are now more price-sensitive and risk-averse, and increasingly want to know a show is a hit before they buy. This has all led to calls for tax concessions for the theatre industry, similar to those available for other cultural industries like film and television.

Sun’s out, toes out

At least, that’s been the trend on the runways of the men’s summer shows in Paris, with clear shoes having a moment… Made of vinyl and worn sockless, they’re coming hot on the heels of a revealing footwear fad for women: ‘barefoot sandals’ debuted by Chanel. Don’t ask us how they stay on, but if you’d like a pair, be prepared to pay over $2,000… As for their style cred, the internet is divided - but they’re starting to trickle down into wearable iterations and look set to join toe-shoes (the ones that look like gardening gloves for your feet) and mesh ballet flats in being called ‘cool-girl’ shoes by fashion editors and influencers alike. It’s not the weather to get your feet out here in Oz, but when summer rolls around, you might notice toes out in more than just thongs…

Apropos of Nothing - New heights edition

Princess Kate has completed the Three Peaks Challenge in the UK to raise money for cancer therapies. The Princess announced she was in remission from cancer last year, and said the event was a "chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and give something back”. 

In a first-of-its-kind mission, rescue workers in the NSW Snowy Mountains launched a new AI-powered remotely piloted drone to find and bring 2 hikers to safety in just 5 hours. The drone means quicker rescue times and less risk for emergency workers - a win/win…

And Aussie mountaineer Oliver Foran has completed the fastest-ever human-powered journey from sea level to the summit of Everest. The 27yo did the climb to raise money for youth mental health services, and not even an avalanche could stop him from breaking the record…

Squiz the Day

11.30pm (AEST) - Cricket: Women's T20 World Cup semi-final one between Australia and the West Indies - London, watch on Prime Video 

Minutes of the RBA June 2026 Monetary Policy Board Meeting released

ABS data release: Business conditions and sentiments, June 2026; Deaths due to acute respiratory infections in Australia, May 2026; Australian agriculture: horticulture, 2024-2025 financial year

End of the 2025-26 financial year 

Primary election in Colorado

Independence Day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Birthdays for the OG red Wiggle Murray Cook (1960), boxing legend Mike Tyson (1966), and former professional swimmer Michael Phelps (1985) 

Anniversary of:

  • the death of Aztec emperor Moctezuma II in battle with Spanish conquistadors (1520)

  • the famous Oxford debate on evolution taking place (1860)

  • the birthday of singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne (1917)

  • the world’s first emergency telephone number (999) being introduced in London (1937)

  • Donald Trump becoming the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea (2019)

  • the Hong Kong national security law coming into effect (2020)

Wednesday 
🎾 1.20am (AEST) - Tennis: Serena Williams will play her first professional singles game in 4 years against Aussie Maya Joint at Wimbledon - London