Tuesday, 4 August - Today is where your book begins

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 4 August. In your Squiz Today…

• The trial of Alan Jones begins in Sydney

• More Oz bird flu cases detected

• And the reading rave turning pages in Melbourne…📚

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Californian birdwatcher Jenny Voisard, about the viral story of a young female bald eagle with designs on a male bird named Shadow - trouble is, he already has a mate. Channeling the famous Dolly Parton song, internet users have dubbed the lovelorn gal Jolene…

The trial of Alan Jones begins

The Squiz

The high-profile case involving one of the biggest names in Australian radio kicked off in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court yesterday. The 85yo former shock jock was charged in November 2024 following a police investigation into historical allegations of indecent assault and sexual touching. He’s pleaded not guilty to 22 charges involving 6 different men who claim that he indecently assaulted them between 2003 and 2020. Facing a throng of media at the court, Jones didn’t say anything as he went inside but in the lead-up, his legal team said he “was anxious to have his day in court”. 

Remind me why this is such a big case…

Heaps of Squizers will have grown up hearing Jones on Sydney’s 2UE and 2GB - but his programs were also broadcast regionally and to some capital cities. Before radio, he coached the Wallabies, was a speech writer for PM Malcolm Fraser, and an English teacher at the King’s School in Sydney. But it was during his 35 years on air that he became a household name with huge influence - he still holds the record for the most consecutive ratings wins (FYI it’s 226…). And with that, came sway with politicians. Journalist Chris Masters, who wrote the biography Jonestown, said Jones had “all manner of princes and premiers bowing before him”. But his career wasn’t without controversy - a widely condemned comment he made about NZ PM Jacinda Ardern in 2019 cost him advertisers and he retired from radio less than a year later.

So where is the case up to?

It began with opening arguments, where the prosecution outlined the allegations against Jones that he touched and kissed complainants without their consent. His defence barrister argued that Jones had faced a “trial by media” and that his media rivals were behind stories spread to “destroy him”. None of the complainants will be identified due to legal reasons, but all are expected to give evidence. The first of them, known as ‘Complainant J’ told the court that Jones gave him money, said he loved him, kissed him on the lips and touched his genitals without his consent... The judge-alone trial is set to last 4 months and hear from more than 70 witnesses, so we’re likely to hear a lot more over the coming weeks.
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Understanding the signs

Research shows 1 in 4 Australians experience financial abuse at some point in their lives, but it often goes unnoticed because it can happen subtly and gradually. It’s not always just about money, either - it can look like controlling access to accounts, limiting someone’s independence, or making them feel trapped financially. Understanding the signs is often the first step, and CommBank’s Next Chapter program can help with free and confidential support even if you don’t bank with them.

Squiz the Rest

Proof of life in Myanmar

The country’s government released new photos of its detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, in apparent proof that the 81yo is alive and well. Suu Kyi was a crucial part of the Asian country’s transition to democracy in the 2010s, after a military junta had run it for nearly 50 years. But in 2021, military leaders overthrew her government, taking back control - and Myanmar has been in civil war ever since. Suu Kyi was arrested and sentenced to 33 years in prison, and no one has made verified contact with her since 2024. Her son Kim Aris has been campaigning for proof that she’s alive for months - which may have played a role in the new photos of the former leader meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross. No news of what they spoke about - but Aris says his mother “appears to be in good health.”

Oz gets a bird flu update…

…and it’s not good news - the first known mass mortality event has been confirmed by the CSIRO after testing of birds found off South Oz’s south-east coast. The group of sick and dying greater crested terns was spotted on an island called Baudin Rocks on Friday, with samples showing they had H5 bird flu. It brings the total number of cases to 78: 58 in South Oz, 10 in Western Oz, 7 in Victoria, 2 in NSW and 1 in Queensland. From here, it’s likely to get worse, according to Agriculture Minister Julie Collins… She says we should “expect to see more spread and a larger number now of wildlife being affected”. There’s no evidence of any spread to poultry farms yet, but the industry’s on high alert - as are experts working to protect our threatened native species…

Read all about it

The government is considering making big tech companies pay a higher tax on the money they make from digital advertising in Australia - if they don’t strike commercial deals with Oz media companies. This is part of the government’s new media bargaining laws - which are aimed at making sure Aussie news organisations are paid properly for their content. Asking tech firms to pay media outlets hasn’t always gone well in Oz… A few years back, Meta (Facebook and Instagram’s owner) refused to renew a media deal and temporarily blocked news from its platforms altogether, meaning people who relied on social media for updates missed out. This legislation is aimed at getting platforms to play ball, and is expected to be introduced to parliament in the coming weeks…

A Whopper… of a Big Mac Index

The annual index put out by The Economist is celebrating its 40th year of using the Big Mac to measure purchasing power (aka the value of global currencies. You can read about it here, but the humble hamburger was chosen as the star of the index back in 1986 - because ingredient-wise, it stays more or less the same no matter your locale (although some say McDonald’s makes regional adjustments). Price-wise, though, it’s a different story… This year, the most expensive Big Mac can be found in Basel, Switzerland at SFr7.30 (more than $12.80), and if you want a cheaper deal, Jakarta’s a good spot - one will set you back Rp42.766,22 (about $3.37) there. For Oz, we’re middle of the pack at about $8.35. We’re lovin’ it…

Want to read Fight Club at a nightclub?

It’s fair to say that we here at The Squiz are not, by and large, massive clubbers - but here’s an idea that may tempt us otherwise. It’s called a Book Doof (Page Rager was unlucky) and it’s where party animals head off to a bar, pub or club to… sit quietly and read. It’s an idea that’s been running in Melbourne since October last year, with one event on Sunday attracting 200 people who just wanted to dig into a good book with instrumental rock and alternative music blasting through the speakers. Creator Grant Krupp said he thought it would be great if there was a space where “everybody read and nobody talked” (aside from libraries, we suppose) and the idea has taken off. If you’re in Melbs and keen on the thought, mark down 21 August on your calendar - the State Library is getting in on the action.

Apropos of Nothing

Here’s a new trailer for a movie that we’re still struggling to believe is real… In Wicker, Olivia Colman plays a fisherwoman who asks a basket maker to make her a husband. Cue Alexander Skarsgard in the role, who says his dream of having wicker nipples “is finally coming true.” We’ve all gotta have a dream… 

After a 72-year hiatus, women’s pro baseball in the US is back. They say any publicity is good but fans were quick to point out that the rendition of the national anthem at the first game didn’t smash it out of the park…

And if you’re in the market for a hard-working ute, Victorian stock agent Gary Driscoll has listed his Toyota LandCruiser for auction. When we say hard-working, it’s clocked 999,999 kilometres. He’s left the honour of passing a million to the new buyer. Oh what a feeling if it doesn’t…

Squiz the Day

8.00am (AEST) - COSBOA National Small Business Summit (until 5 August) - Sydney 

8.00am (ACST) - Defence Force Chief Admiral Mark Hammond and Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro will launch the 2026 Defence Innovation, Science and Technology Strategy as part of the Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit (until 6 August) - Adelaide

9.00am (AEST) - Australian Cotton Conference (until 6 August) - Gold Coast 

10.00am (AEST) - Ministers in Victorian Premier Ben Carroll’s new government will be sworn in - Melbourne

3.00pm (AEST) - Governor-General Sam Mostyn will unveil a portrait of Indigenous cook and mentor Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo at the National Portrait Gallery - Canberra

ABS data release: Monthly household spending indicator, June 2026

Credit Corp 2026 full-year financial results

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day

Single Working Women’s Day

🍪 National choc chip cookie day

Birthdays for author Tim Winton (1960), former US President Barack Obama (1961), Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (1981), and singer Jessica Mauboy (1989)

Anniversary of:

• the birth of jazz legend Louis Armstrong (1901)

• the arrest of Anne Frank and 7 others in hiding (1944)

• Prince’s Purple Rain album going to #1, where it would stay for 24 weeks (1984)

• Rwanda peace treaty signed (1993)

• the Beirut blast, which killed more than 200 people (2020)

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