Wednesday, 19 November - Finally it’s happened to me

November 19, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 19 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • Political shake ups in the states of Victoria and NSW

  • A plan for Gaza gets the go-ahead

  • And the Australian of the Year field is set… 🇦🇺

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Making films is not what I do, it is who I am.”

Said actor Tom Cruise after receiving an honorary Oscar this week, along with singer Dolly Parton, designer Wynn Thomas and choreographer Debbie Allen. Sadly, the 4-time Oscar nominee didn’t run up to the stage to accept his first gold statuette…

Leader hosin’

The Squiz

If you’ve seen the ABC documentary The Killing Season about the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd federal Labor government, you might remember that the title refers to the last couple of weeks of the parliamentary year, when political parties often make moves to replace their leaders. It's sure living up to its reputation in 2025, with the Victorian Liberals picking a new leader, the NSW Liberals having a think about it, a change at the top of the NSW Nationals, and continued speculation over federal Coalition leader Sussan Ley's future.

What happened in Victoria?

The 35yo first-term MP Jess Wilson is the party’s new face after she rolled former leader Brad Battin yesterday. Battin was in the job for less than a year, but his colleagues visited him on Monday to let him know he no longer had their support. Though, in an awkward bit of timing, the Herald Sun published a poll this week (paywall) showing that Battin himself - and the Coalition - were in an election-winning position. Nonetheless, Wilson is in the hot seat now, and she’s the first-ever female Coalition leader in the state’s history. She says the budget, crime, health and home ownership are her main priorities as she gears up to take on current Victorian Labor Premier Jacinta Allan in the upcoming state election, which will be in November next year. 

And in NSW?

There’s also plenty going on in our most populous state… On Monday, NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders stepped down from his role, saying that he needed to focus on his family and himself. He’s since been replaced by Gurmesh Singh, but the change at the top of the Nats has sharpened the focus on Liberal leader Mark Speakman. He’s been struggling in the polls for months against Labor Premier Chris Minns, with plenty of stories this week indicating his position might be in trouble. And while all this goes on in the states, federal Coalition leader Sussan Ley is sticking to her guns, promising she’ll still be leader by the time the next federal election rolls around in 2028.

For a bit of history on the federal Coalition and how it works, we’ve done up a new Shortcut - you can check that out here…

Powering Australia’s future

Copper's becoming one of Australia's next big mining stories. Between electric vehicles, renewable energy and those massive AI data centres, global demand is set to soar - but supply's tight. That’s why BHP is investing heavily in South Australian copper projects and using AI to find deposits more efficiently. This isn't just another commodity boom - it's the metal that'll power pretty much every tech and energy transition we're banking on. Head here to find out more about how copper powers your world.

Squiz the Rest

Hannah McGuire’s killer has been jailed…

…for 28 years, and is eligible for parole in 2046. Hannah was 23yo when she was strangled by Lachlan Young in their home in Sebastopol, south of Ballarat, in April 2024. He took her body to bushland near Ballarat and set it alight, staging it to look like suicide - actions Justice James Elliot described as “an extreme act of domestic violence”. About 100 people were in the Supreme Court of Victoria for yesterday’s sentencing, and heard Hannah was planning to leave Young when he killed her. She was described as “warm, special, talented and giving” - and outside court, her parents, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, said “while nothing can bring back what we have lost, or the pain we continue to carry, today’s outcome is an important step in our journey towards healing”.
*Need help?

A plan for Gaza gets the go-ahead

This was proposed in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza - and yesterday, it was rubber-stamped by the UN Security Council. A key part of it: sending an international stabilisation force - aka peacekeepers - to provide security as the Gaza Strip is demilitarised, which is something Hamas is against. The plan also includes a potential pathway to Palestinian sovereignty. You’ll likely remember when Oz joined 156 other countries in recognising an independent Palestinian state back in September - although that can only officially happen if the UN Security Council approves it. Israel is strongly opposed to any future Palestinian state, so this plan has caused waves there…

Staying with the US…

…President Trump has pulled out all the stops to welcome Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS) to the White House this morning, along with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the country's pro league. It's the Royal's first visit to the US since the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the regime who wrote columns from exile for The Washington Post. His death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul caused a public outcry around the world, but the Prince maintains he knew nothing about it - and today he said it was a "huge mistake". Trump refused to cut ties with the Kingdom, a major trading partner - and to that point, MBS is in the market for some US-made F-35 fighter jets. Also on the agenda is the Abraham Accords - aka US trade deals with Middle Eastern countries - which the President hopes the Saudis will sign on to “fairly shortly”. 

Cuts at the CSIRO

Our national science agency says up to 350 full-time research jobs will be slashed  - adding to more than 800 roles already cut over the past 18 months. As you might expect, it comes down to money… The CSIRO’s been facing financial challenges and says the cuts are necessary for long-term stability, with chief Doug Hilton saying they’ll “safeguard our national science agency so we can continue solving the challenges that matter to … Australians”. But the CSIRO Staff Association has slammed the Albanese Government for overseeing “some of the worst cuts” they’ve seen. Union secretary Susan Tonks says it needs to “fix this mess by committing to urgent funding that halts the cuts and secures the future of CSIRO’s world-leading science and research”.

The Australian of the Year field is set… 

…after Tassie yesterday picked its winner, Jorian Kippax, a doctor involved in last year’s Franklin River rescue. The health space has dominated the nominations so far, with NT paramedic Dr Felix Ho, Queensland mobile health expert Dr Rolf Gomes, ACT migrant/refugee health expert Professor Rose McGready and Western Oz digital addiction specialist Dr Daniela Vecchio all getting the nod. Victoria plumped for radio presenter and brain cancer fundraiser Carrie Bickmore, NSW for humanitarian Dr Alison Thompson, and South Oz picked our first-ever astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg. You can see all the contenders (including the Senior/Young award winners) at the official website - and the big ceremony takes place on 25 January. Worthy contenders all…
*For more on Katherine Bennell-Pegg, check out this interview our friends at Squiz Kids did with the trailblazing astronaut… 

Apropos of Nothing - Wordy edition

The Macquarie Dictionary has released its shortlist of the Word of the Year contenders for 2025, with ‘AI slop’, ‘Ozempic face’ and, of course, ‘six-seven’ all making the list. You can have your say in the People’s Choice pick here - go on, vote for six-seven, we dare you…

Not to be outdone, the UK’s Cambridge Dictionary has picked ‘parasocial’ as its word of the year, which is defined as a “connection someone feels between themselves and someone they don’t know”, such as a celebrity, a fictional character, or even an AI chatbot…  

Australia’s most popular dog names for 2025 have been released, and there's been no change at the top… Luna is still the most popular name for females and Teddy is the unbeatable favourite for males. Still yet to crack the top 10: Mr/Mrs Snufflebuttons… 

Squiz the Day

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is at the White House to visit US President Donald Trump. Also attending is football star Cristiano Ronaldo (who captains the Al-Nassr side in the Saudi pro league) - Washington DC

9.00am (AEDT) - A public hearing will take place at Parliament House as part of an Inquiry into the Quality and safety of Australia’s early childhood education and care system - Canberra

10.00am (AEDT) - Medibank Private Limited will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Edge Auditorium - Melbourne 

11.30am (AEDT) - Managing Director of the ABC, Hugh Marks, will address the National Press Club of Australia to set out his vision for the ABC - Canberra

12.00pm (AEDT) - Football: The Socceroos play Colombia at Citi Field during the FIFA Men's International Window - New York, watch on Paramount+ 

11.30am (AEST) - Findings in the inquest into the shooting of 2 police officers at Wieambilla will be released at the Queensland Department of Justice - Brisbane

1.30pm (AEDT) - A state funeral will be held at St Andrew’s Cathedral for broadcaster John Laws who died on 9 November aged 90yo - Sydney

1.00pm (ACST) - A public hearing will take place as part of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade’s Inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2023-24 - Darwin

3.00pm (AEDT) - SEEK Limited’s AGM takes place at its head office in Cremorne - Melbourne

3.00pm (AEDT) - Angelo Loras, the man who pleaded guilty to setting alight the front doors of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue while worshippers and children were inside in July, will be sentenced - Melbourne 

5.00pm (AEDT) - The red carpet begins for the 2025 ARIA Awards at the Hordern Pavilion - Sydney, watch it live on Paramount+ or delayed on Channel 10

6.30pm (AEDT) - The Asian-Australian Leadership Awards Gala Dinner will be held at the Victoria State Library - Melbourne

7.00pm (AEDT) - Aussie rules: Round one of the 2025 AFL Draft begins tonight at Marvel Stadium, with Round 2 to carry on tomorrow - Melbourne, watch it live on Kayo

A vote in the US Congress is set to decide whether to release the Epstein files - Washington DC, US

ABS data releases: Wage Price Index, Australia, September 2025; Education and work, May 2025; Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator, September 2025; Microdata: Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, 2024-2025

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare will release a report on the health of men in Australia to mark International Men’s Day

Try to stay on speaking terms with whoever you play on National Play Monopoly Day...

Birthdays for fashion designer Calvin Klein (1942), and actors Meg Ryan (1961), Jodie Foster (1962) and Adam Driver (1983)

Anniversary of:

  • American inventor Frederick E Blaisdell patenting the pencil (1895)

  • the birth of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1917) 

  • the sinking of the HMAS Sydney by the disguised German raider HSK Kormoran off the coast of Western Oz, killing 645 people (1941)

  • Brazilian football player Pelé scoring his 1,000th career goal (1969)

  • the death of cult leader Charles Manson (2017)