Wednesday, 29 July - Dreams can come true

July 29, 2026

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 29 July. In your Squiz Today…

  • Ben Carroll becomes the Victorian Premier

  • The search for survivors after an earthquake in Japan

  • And you’re not dreaming, The Castle is heading for the stage… 🎭

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

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"Nobody puts the real hazard in the official rule books,"

Said Idaho man David Rush, who has broken the World Record for juggling a heap of flame torches while riding a unicycle. He successfully caught the burning batons 175 times, and although his new accolade almost cost him his eyebrows, he’s pretty chuffed…

A victor in Victoria

The Squiz

It was a busy morning in Melbourne yesterday - Jacinta Allan resigned as Victorian Premier, after days of saying she would fight any leadership challenge. She was tipped to lose a spill motion that was due to be moved at a caucus meeting, but she announced she was stepping down before it got moving. She said it was “the right thing by the Labor Party and the Victorian people”, and her deputy Ben Carroll was then selected unopposed to replace her after a long (and at times rowdy) meeting.

What is Allan’s legacy?

Jacinta Allan was a career politician who has spent more than half her life in Parliament. She won the seat of Bendigo East in 1999, becoming the state's youngest-ever female MP at 25yo, before becoming the second female Premier of Victoria in September 2023. But her time as leader wasn’t easy. Allan faced corruption allegations over construction projects she oversaw during her time as the state’s Transport Minister and spiralling state debt. And it wasn’t getting easier - she was facing what analysts have been describing as the “uphill battle” of November’s state election, as Labor drifted in the polls and the Coalition (led by relatively new leader Jess Wilson) took the lead. Allan said "I didn't get everything right but I know I made a difference", saying she was now looking forward to spending more time with her family.

Who is Ben Carroll?

He’s a 51yo former lawyer and political adviser who was pipped to the Premier post by Allan after Dan Andrews stepped down. He’s held several senior positions in the Victorian government, and some analysts reckon he’s got a tough job on his hands… We’re just 4 months out from the upcoming state election, and because Labor has been in government for almost 12 years, some think it might be a challenge to convince voters who are not happy with how the state is being run to stick with them. Carroll says his government will go “in a new direction” on key issues, including integrity, community safety and the economy… He’s already announced a Royal Commission into the state’s construction sector, saying he needs to restore Victorians’ trust in government.

Making travel easier

Getting to where you need to be can be tricky for Aussies with a disability - and although state governments provide transport subsidy schemes, some say they’re out of date because they don’t include on demand ride-share services. To understand the role rideshare can play in better serving people who rely on state-funded taxi subsidy schemes, Uber partnered with organisations including Vision Australia, and conducted a 12-week trial allowing participants to use the equivalent value of their government subsidy on the Uber platform. Of the participants, 92% felt more independent and empowered when they had more choice over their travel plans. You can check out its findings here.

Squiz the Rest

A search is underway….

…for people trapped in a Japanese shopping centre after an earthquake hit Kyushu Island last night. The 6.8 magnitude quake struck at around 4.30pm local time, and caused an explosion and collapse at the Aeon Mall, as well as a chimney collapse at a local paper factory. The last count from authorities is that 19 people are still missing, with local media reporting that several are feared dead. Just last month, the Aeon Mall had reopened after extensive renovations, to mark its recovery from a 7.3 magnitude earthquake back in 2016. That quake followed another a few days earlier - so the country is on high alert for aftershocks and more damage in the coming days as the rescue operation continues…

A busy morning at the White House

US President Donald Trump has held back-to-back meetings with the Ukrainian President and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu - both are in Washington DC to go to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral. It was a different vibe for Volodymyr Zelensky from previous visits to the White House - he said today’s chat went well and that they discussed peace talks with Russia, as well as the air defence systems the US has promised Ukraine. Then came the first face-to-face chat between Trump and Netanyahu since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February. It’s been tense at times between the 2 men over recent months, and analysts say the Israeli leader (who’s struggling in the polls) needs a publicly positive relationship with the US President ahead of elections in October.

Nearly a million reasons to say sorry

The scope of last week’s Origin Energy hack was revealed yesterday, with CEO Frank Calabria confirming that the data of around 900,000 current and former customers is believed to have been stolen by hackers. The security breach at the country’s largest electricity company came to light on 22 July when a sample of 50 customers’ data was sent to The Australian newspaper by an alleged hacker who claimed to have the details of 2 million customers. As well as revealing the number of people affected, Calabria said the company found out about a potential cyber threat early this month but didn’t think it was credible. He again apologised to customers and said Origin doesn't take their trust for granted. The matter is continuing to be investigated by the AFP.

Not happy chaps

Eating disorders in men aren’t something we hear about a lot in the news, but stats show around 365,000 Aussie blokes are living with one. It’s a growing issue - body dissatisfaction in men has tripled in the past 25 years, rising from 15% to 45%. And boys under 16yo are particularly at risk. The Butterfly Foundation, a charity for people with eating disorders and body image issues, says its helpline is increasingly hearing from boys in that age group needing support. Counsellor Jackson Rose says a big part of it is pressure from online influencers “pushing an ideal around masculinity”. And even though men make up 33% of diagnoses, “stigma” often stops them asking for help - so there’s hardly any research or early intervention strategies for them, something Rose says makes them more susceptible to pressure around body image.
*Need help?

This one’s going straight to the green room

Three decades after the original film was released, The Castle is coming back - but this time as a stage play. The 1997 Aussie classic tells the story of Darryl Kerrigan (played by Michael Caton) and his family’s fight to save their home from being demolished by an airport expansion. It’s a beloved script with lines like “how’s the serenity” and ”tell him he’s dreaming”, but it’s had a refresh before it heads to the theatre. The original writers say they’ve given it an update to make it work for 2027 - we’re picturing a devastating scene when someone tells Darryl they’ve cancelled Hey Hey It’s Saturday… The play will premiere at Melbourne’s in March next year - we don’t know how they’ll fit the Camira, Torana and the Commodore on set - not to mention the Cortina and the boat…

Apropos of Nothing

The former home of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders is going under the hammer this week, along with his old day planner, which is said to contain his 11 secret herbs and spices and the exact amounts used. Any teen boy will tell you there’s no bid high enough…

You might think a ‘scream club’ is for horror film fans, but you’d be wrong - it’s a group of 300 people that meet weekly on the side of Lake Michigan in Chicago for a cathartic scream over the water. We reckon we’d have a few people keen to try it in Oz, particularly around Lake Burley Griffin… 

And White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge was spotted pushing a shopping trolley in Bondi yesterday. She’s in Oz filming an ad campaign for book app Audible - and when she hasn’t got her head/ears in a book, she’s daydreaming over Aussie police officers…

Squiz the Day

12.00pm (AEST) - NSW Premier Chris Minns to deliver the State of the State address at an event held by CEDA - Sydney 

12.30pm (AEST) - CSIRO chief executive Doug Hilton to address the National Press Club on how sovereign science can help Australia navigate the decade ahead - Canberra, watch on ABC iView 

12.45pm (AEST) - S&P Global will hold its annual Australian Credit Spotlight seminar with topics including private credit, AI and data centres - Sydney

7.45pm (AEST) - Football: Sydney Super Cup Tottenham Hotspur v Sydney FC - Sydney, watch on 10 

Australian Bureau of Stats data release: Consumer Price Index, June 2026

Rio Tinto to hand down half-yearly financial results 

Australian Museum Eureka Prize finalists announced

🌧️ Rain Day

Anniversary of:

• the Irish Famine Rebellion (1848)

• the death of artist Vincent Van Gogh (1890)

• NASA is established (1958)

• Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding, watched by 750 million people worldwide (1981)

• the death of Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dorothy Hodgkin (1994)

• Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road breaking the record for longest run at the top of US singles chart at 17 weeks (2019)