Wednesday, 11 March - I will carry you home

March 11, 2026

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 11 March. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Albanese Government sends military support to the Middle East

  • The Nationals are set to pick a new leader after David Littleproud quits

  • And some tough toilet paper testing…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“We respect the tradition of mascot stealing and it will return to you soon!”

Said a message on a handwritten note left for the Australian Paralympic team by thieves who (good-naturedly) abducted their beloved mascot Bruce the Emu. You’d think that a 5-foot brass emu might be hard to whisk away, but clearly he’s not a flight risk…  

Australia gets involved in the Middle East

The Squiz

The Albanese Government announced yesterday that it’s sending a military surveillance plane called an E-7A Wedgetail and several air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates, to help defend the country against long-range military drones. Around 85 Australian Defence Force members will be going with the plane to operate it - PM Anthony Albanese says it’s about helping protect the UAE (where about 24,000 Aussies are at the moment) against Iranian strikes, as the war between Iran and the US/Israel continues… 

Does that mean we’re at war now?

That’s a big talking point… Foreign Minister Penny Wong was asked just that question, and she described it as Oz participating in “collective self-defence”, and was clear that we aren’t “taking offensive action against Iran”. But ANU Professor Don Rothwell says under international law, an ADF member on board or involved with the Wedgetail “will be considered a combatant” - and could potentially be drawn more directly into the conflict. It’s not the first time a Wedgetail has been sent on a mission like this - one was deployed to Poland last year to help assist Ukraine in its war with Russia. The decision to assist the UAE has the early support of the Coalition, but Greens leader Larissa Waters says Australia has now “been fully dragged into another US forever war”.

On that - any news on how long the war might last?

Some mixed messages from US President Donald Trump there - yesterday he described the war as “very complete” - which led to oil prices falling on the hope the war would end - but later said the US would hit Iran “20 times harder” if it continued to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. For Iran’s part, it says it won’t seek a ceasefire, and “Iran will determine when the war ends”. And an update on the Iranian women’s football team we spoke about yesterday - 5 players from the Lionesses have since been granted humanitarian visas, which are valid for 12 months while they seek permanent residence in Oz. Reports say more team members have since sought asylum at the last minute, while the rest are on their way back to Iran. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says he’ll have a further update on their status today, so keep an eye out for that…

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Squiz the Rest

Another political leader calls time

The federal Nationals will pick a new leader today, after David Littleproud quit the role yesterday to spend more time with his family, declaring: “I’m buggered”. He’s following in former Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s footsteps after the 2 split and reformed the Coalition twice since May’s federal election - a time Littleproud described as “a pretty rough road”. Unlike Ley, he’ll be staying in parliament, so there’s no need for a byelection in his Queensland electorate of Maranoa. On the future of the Coalition, Littleproud said he’s “satisfied” with Angus Taylor as the new leader “and the way he has handled himself, that we are now competitive again”. The ballot to pick his successor is set for 10am AEDT today, with Kevin Hogan and Matt Canavan a couple of the likely candidates…

250,000 reasons to talk

It’s been more than 6 weeks since Julian Ingram disappeared from the remote NSW town of Lake Cargelligo after allegedly fatally shooting his former partner Sophie Quinn, her friend John Harris and her aunt Nerida Quinn on 22 January - and police reckon he’s alive and being helped. They’re offering a $250,000 reward for information and say that to survive for so long in the “arid country… he would have to have support”. After receiving around 280 pieces of intel since the shootings, reported sightings of Ingram have dried up, and with over 600,000 acres of surrounding bush to search, they’re relying on a tip-off to find him. In the interim, they say they’ll boost their numbers in town in preparation for the funerals of Sophie, her unborn baby and her aunt Nerida this week “to make sure the community is safe”.

A Green light for super tax changes

The federal government’s plan to double the tax rate on high-value superannuation accounts is a step closer to becoming law this week after being rubber-stamped by the Greens. It means that from July, people with super balances between $3 million and $10 million will have earnings taxed at 30% (double the current rate), and those over $10 million at 40%. The bill also raises the threshold for the low-income super tax offset, so people earning up to $45,000 get extra help saving for their retirement. It’s the first of a number of changes the government has in store, with more expected to be unveiled closer to the May budget. That’s something the Greens are keen to see - their Treasury spokesman Senator Nick McKim says they’ve backed the “watered down” super package on the provision that Labor delivers “bold reform” next.
* If you want to dive further into the new super laws, we’ve got you covered with this Squiz Shortcut…

Kyle Sandilands says sorry…

…to his former co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, for the on-air argument over astrology that led to the pair’s show being axed last week. In his first public comments since the axing, Sandilands said yesterday that he apologised to Henderson the evening after the spat, and that “the idea that our partnership could end like this is devastating to me”. He says he wants to bring the show back, but is “not allowed to contact Jackie” under his current 14-day suspension. Sandilands also had words for his employer, the Australian Radio Network, which he said wasn’t “running a genuine process” dealing with the split, and disputed ARN’s claims that he breached his $100 million contract. That puts both he and Henderson at odds with ARN, after Henderson contradicted the network’s statement that she’d quit the show. This story is far from over…

A sheet of a job

Consumer advocacy group Choice has taken on one of the most sensitive product testing jobs in the biz - working out which toilet paper is the best value for money. The group picked 4 categories by which to test the best loo rolls - softness, separation, strength and sewer-friendliness (you gotta love that alliteration). On that basis, Choice has picked Quilton 4 Ply Softness Gold as its winner, with a softness score of 90% (luxurious…) and a decent price point of 69c per 100 sheets. If you’re worried about clogging up your pipes at home, Choice recommends avoiding Kleenex Complete Clean (which according to Choice, doesn’t disintegrate very well) and iCare Luxury Eco Toilet Tissue 3ply. We’re just trying to not think too hard about the testing process…

Apropos of Nothing

A Finnish duo has won one of the great global sporting events - the UK’s annual wife-carrying contest. The couple took 1.45 minutes to complete the race while clearing hay bales and having buckets of water thrown at them - so, quite a feat to Finnish first…

In an act of accidental generosity, 2 teenagers left a backpack full of marijuana and cash outside a charity shop in New Zealand. Noticing a strong smell, a volunteer opened it, and when the pair returned on a recovery mission, they had some explaining to do - to the police…

And keep an eye on Rabbitohs player Alex Johnston, who is a chance to break the all-time NRL try-scoring record in the next week. If you need the NRL, they’re busy figuring out how to stop the crowds from storming the ground when it happens…

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEDT) - A public hearing continues for the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor's review of the legal definition of a 'terrorist act' - Canberra

9.00am (AEDT) - It’s day one of the No to Violence conference (until 12 March), with keynote addresses from Grace Tame and Stan Grant - Hobart

10.00am (AEDT)) - The Nationals will hold a leadership ballot to replace outgoing leader David Littleproud - Canberra

11.30am (AEDT) - Independent MP Allegra Spender will give an address to the National Press Club titled ‘Tax White Paper #1: Personal Taxation Fit for the Future’ - Canberra 

2.05pm (AEDT) - Cricket: One Day Cup final, Tasmania v New South Wales at Ninja Stadium - Hobart watch on Kayo 

7.30pm (AEDT) - Basketball: NBL semi-final series, game one Sydney Kings v Perth Wildcats, at Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, watch on Kayo 

ABS data release: Industrial Disputes, December

NAPLAN begins for school kids in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (until 23 March)

Birthdays for media mogul Rupert Murdoch (1931), and Good Charlotte singers Benji and Joel Madden (1979) 

Anniversary of:

  • Liberal Party leader John Howard being sworn in as PM (1996)

  • Beatle Paul McCartney being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II (1997)

  • the Madrid train bombings which killed 193 people (2004)

  • an earthquake and tsunami in Japan that triggered the second worst nuclear accident in history at the Fukushima nuclear plant (2011)