News Club

Your Shortcut to... the banking crisis

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the space of just a few weeks, a handful of big banks have collapsed around the world and many others have got the wobbles. So in this episode of S...

Your Shortcut to... the NSW state election

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Australia's most populous state heads to the ballot box on Saturday, so in this week's Squiz Shortcut, we take a look at the vibe after 12 years of Co...

Your Shortcut to... the AUKUS submarine deal

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, PM Anthony Albanese got together with US President Joe Biden and UK PM Rishi Sunak to unveil one of the biggest Australian defence announce...

Your Shortcut to... defamation laws

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Plenty of high-profile people have recently been involved in defamation cases in recent times, like Lisa Wilkinson, Ben Roberts-Smith, and Erin Molan ...

Your Shortcut to... Australia's recycling crisis

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Plenty of us have a go at recycling - but it turns out a whole lot more than we think is ending up in landfill, despite a bunch of good intentions… ...

Your Shortcut to... ChatGPT

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few months, ChatGPT has set the tech world alight with predictions that it will change the internet - and it's raised big questions abou...

Your Shortcut to... 2023 Sydney WorldPride

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sydneysiders wouldn't be able to miss the fact that the Harbour City is hosting the 2023 WorldPride - the world's biggest LGBTQIA+ festival that's kic...

Your Shortcut to... what's happening in Alice Springs - Part 2

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last week's Squiz Shortcuts episode got across what's been happening in Alice Springs lately and some historical context. In this week's follow-up epi...

Your Shortcut to... what's happening in Alice Springs - Part 1

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alice Springs has been in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons over the past couple of weeks after a shocking escalation of crime in the t...

Your Shortcut to... Andrew Tate

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You might have seen the name Andrew Tate in the news over the summer - and wondered who is this guy and what has he done to get locked up in a Romania...

Your Shortcut to... the Hunter Biden saga

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If all you know about Hunter Biden is that he's the son of President Joe Biden and he's a bit controversial, this episode of Squiz Shortcuts will fill...

Your Shortcut to... the latest on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There have been some big developments over the summer break in the Albanese Government's proposal to establish a Voice to Parliament. So in this episo...

Your Shortcut to... the forgotten stories of 2022

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With 2022 drawing to a close, it got us thinking about what happened to a whole bunch of stories that were really big and then just fell out of the ne...

Your Shortcut to... the future of the British royal family

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a pretty turbulent couple of weeks for the Royal family, with Prince Harry and Meghan's new Netflix series really putting the cat among the ...

Your Shortcut to... China's COVID protests

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

China is a country known for quashing any dissent before it makes it anywhere near the media. But recently, anti-lockdown protests have been springing...

Your Shortcut to... moving to the Moon

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alright Squizers, strap yourselves in because we're going to the Moon… Yep, you read that right - US space agency NASA reckons it's about to take an...

Your Shortcut to... the 2022 Victorian election

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Victorians head to the ballot box on Saturday and this campaign has been pretty bruising. Premier Daniel Andrews is going for a 3rd term, and while th...

Your Shortcut to... the Qatar FIFA World Cup

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Next week, billions of eyeballs will be on Qatar for the start of the soccer World Cup. This has been one of the most controversial tournaments in the...

Your Shortcut to... the 2022 G20 summit

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Next week leaders from around the globe will converge on Bali for a meeting of the G20 - which is the forum that brings together the world's biggest e...

Your Shortcut to... the US midterm election

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Next week in the US voters will cast their votes in the midterms, which will elect a whole bunch of new members to Congress (which is the equivalent o...

Your Shortcut to... the Albanese Government's first budget

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has just handed down his first Budget, the first for a Labor Government in nearly 10 years. He's called it "solid and sensible"...

Your Shortcut to... Mahsa Amini and the Iran protests

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mahsa Amini was a 22yo Iranian woman who was arrested by the country’s morality police in mid-September for wearing her hijab too loosely. She died ...

Your Shortcut to... the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It was on 12 October 2002 that 202 people including 88 Aussies were killed in a terror attack in Bali. This week marks 20 years since that horrific ev...

Your Shortcut to... Cybersecurity and the Optus data breach

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you're an Optus customer or not, you might have heard the news of one of Australia's worst-ever data breaches that left millions of peoples' d...

Your Shortcut to... Putin's latest moves in Ukraine

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There have been some big developments in the war in Ukraine, and the world's on edge wondering how it's all going to play out. So in this Squiz Shortc...

Your Shortcut to... the future of streaming

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It wasn't that long ago Netflix was that shiny new thing we all went crazy for, but huge competition from other streaming services and a bit of audien...

Your Shortcut to... Queen Elizabeth and King Charles

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It doesn't matter about your age, where you live, or what you were doing last week - it's very likely you've been swept up in coverage of the Queen's ...

Your Shortcut to... the UK's new prime minister

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a bit of a ride in recent months when it comes to politics in the United Kingdom. The nation's new prime minister - former Foreign Secretary...

Your Shortcut to... Australia's worker shortage crisis

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everywhere you turn in Australia people are looking for workers. Businesses are calling it a “crisis” and the new Albanese Government is holding a...

Scott Morrison's multiple ministries

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're currently going through a pretty extraordinary period in Australian politics, with revelations that former PM Scott Morrison secretly appointed ...

Your Shortcut to... an update on what's what in Afghanistan

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week marks one year since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after the United States and its allies left the country. The country's economy ...

Your Shortcut to... Judith Durham and Olivia Newton-John

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Judith Durham and Olivia Newton-John were both giants of Australian music and died within one week of each other. They had very different musical styl...

Your Shortcut to... a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

▲ The Albanese government said it would deliver the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, and we've now heard of plans to hold a referendum to ...

Your Shortcut to... monkeypox and foot and mouth disease

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two and a half years of COVID has made us all more virus literate, and now there are concerns about 2 more that are going around - monkeypox and foot-...

Your Shortcut to... the new Federal Government and Opposition

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been 2 months since Anthony Albanese and his Labor team beat the Coalition led by Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce to reclaim government at the f...

Your Shortcut to... Sri Lanka's collapse

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The beautiful and culturally rich nation of Sri Lanka is in economic and political collapse. With its President fleeing the country on a military jet ...

Your shortcut to... Australia and our Pacific family

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Australia and the Pacific Islands used to go together like cossies and sunscreen, but things have become more complicated and the relationship has bee...

Your Shortcut to... overturning Roe v Wade

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, removing American women's constitutional right to have an abortion. It wasn't exactly a surprise - the...

Your shortcut to... building a business: You don't always get it right with Matt Whiley

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Figuring out how to start and grow a business can be intimidating, so in this 4-part series, we talk to 4 Aussie businesses about what they wished the...

Your Shortcut to... how we're keeping the lights on

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest news stories going around is what's happening with our energy system, with Oz facing a raft of issues that have smashed supply and ...

Your Shortcut to... the Murugappan family's return to Biloela

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past 5 years, the Murugappan family has become the most high-profile asylum seeker case in Australia. Their fight to stay here started almost...

Your shortcut to... building a business: Is timing everything? with Collective Closets

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Figuring out how to start and grow a business can be intimidating, so in this 4-part series, we talk to 4 Aussie businesses about what they wished the...

Your shortcut to... building a business: Levelling up with Tribe Skincare

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Figuring out how to start and grow a business can be intimidating, so in this 4-part series, we talk to 4 Aussie businesses about what they wished the...

Your Shortcut to... why Boris Johnson's in trouble

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

UK PM Boris Johnson is a colourful character whose career has ranged from journalist to politician, to world leader. He's been a significant figure in...

Your Shortcut to... building a business: You've got an idea with Grumpy Donuts

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of our new Squiz Shortcut series on building a business, we take a look at the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. Figuring out whe...

Your Shortcut to... the Uluru Statement from the Heart

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Anthony Albanese's claimed victory for Labor in the recent federal election, he acknowledged the traditional owners of the land and committed to ...

Your Shortcut to... digging into the election result

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 2022 federal election was quite a ride... What we saw was a result that ushers in a change of government to Labor, sends the Coalition into opposi...

Your Shortcut to... the life and times of Mike Cannon-Brookes

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Cannon-Brookes - the billionaire co-founder of tech company Atlassian - has been making a few headlines recently off the back of his attempt to b...

Your Shortcut to... Roe v Wade

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A big battle is brewing in America over the future of abortion rights after it was revealed that the Supreme Court is on the cusp of overturning a jud...

Your Shortcut to... Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, stunned the business world when he launched a $44 billion takeover bid for social media giant Twitter. So in this ...

Your Shortcut to... the French election and the future of France

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The French have voted to give incumbent President Emmanuel Macron another 5 years in the top job. It was a decisive win, but he faces a divided nation...

Your Shortcut to... the Russia-China alliance

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Before the war in Ukraine and on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping entered int...

Your Shortcut to... the Queen and the future of the British royal family

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This year, Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the British throne. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we look back at ...

Your Shortcut to... the Solomon Islands and China

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Solomon Islands is poised to sign a controversial security deal that would increase China's military presence in our region, putting them less tha...

Your Shortcut to... the pre-election Budget

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Government handed down its latest Budget this week, including some big-ticket items designed to win your vote in the upcoming election. So...

Your Shortcut to... Wild weather and climate change

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

La Niña has hammered eastern Australia during the last couple of summers. Across Queensland and NSW, so many communities have experienced unprecedent...

Your Shortcut to... Volodymyr Zelensky

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Just a few years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was a comedian and actor playing Ukraine’s president on television. Now, he’s a real-life wartime leader ...

Your Shortcut to... Shane Warne and Rod Marsh

06 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a devastating few days for Australia's cricket community and fans around the world with the deaths of 2 giants of the game, Shane Warne and ...

Your Shortcut to... the West's sanctions on Russia

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Russia pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine, the West has been using sanctions as a key method of retaliation and punishment. So in this Squ...

Your Shortcut to... NATO and the Ukraine crisis

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As you well and truly know, Russia has launched a full-scale assault on Ukraine. To get you across the background to this, it's time to get to know NA...

Your Shortcut to... the Religious Discrimination Laws

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a fractious few weeks in politics as we head towards a federal election. And one of the issues that burned brightly was a new Religious Disc...

Your Shortcut to... the crisis in Ukraine

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's a part of Europe that many of us don't know much about, but the crisis in Ukraine has been in the news a lot recently. Western nations are worrie...

Your Shortcut to... the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It feels like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were on 2 seconds ago - and they basically were because of COVID delays. But it's time to get set for the next r...

Your Shortcut to... Tonga and the Ring of Fire

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted with an enormous force less than a fortnight ago, accompanied by cracking sonic booms, stratosp...

Your Shortcut to... calls for Australia to become a republic

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This year is Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the British throne. To kick it off, the Australian Republican Movement has outlin...

Your Shortcut to... COVID in 2022

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a new year, but an old story… COVID is still here, and now the Omicron variant is ripping through our communities and the world at a rapid pa...

Your Shortcut to... Desmond Tutu

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When one of South Africa's biggest characters - Archbishop Desmond Tutu - died on Boxing Day, he was remembered as a champion for freedom and equality...

2021 Year In Review - Part 3 - The Lighter Stuff

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of our 3-part Year in Review series, we revisit the stories that kept us entertained during 2021. You can find a written version ...

2021 Year in Review - Part 2 - All Australian

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the 2nd episode of our 3-part Year in Review series, we revisit the big local stories that shaped 2021. You can find a written version of the conte...

2021 Year in Review - Part 1 - Around the World

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of our 3-part Year in Review series, we revisit the big international stories that shaped 2021. You can find a written version of...

The Great Big Squiz Quiz 2021

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a bit of fun, it’s a bit festive, with a lot of laughs. Take a lighter look at year that was 2021 by joining us for The Great Big Squiz Quiz....

Your Shortcut to... Angela Merkel

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After 16 years Angela Merkel is no longer Chancellor of Germany. Leading Europe's biggest economy - and in a lot of ways, Europe - through some of the...

Your Shortcut to... the Ashes

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It is near-impossible to ignore cricket news during an Aussie summer, and this year will be a big 'un… That's because the Ashes are on Aussie soil, ...

Your Shortcut to... Omicron

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As much as we wish it wasn't the case, Omicron is here and it's a thing. And there are lots of questions about what that might mean... So in this Squi...

Your Shortcut to... China's cultural crackdown

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has us left with a lot of questions… After all, she's not the first high-profile person to have ...

Your Shortcut to... Inflation

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation is a key piece of the economic puzzle, and it's a hot topic in Oz and across the globe right now. So In this Squiz Shortcut, we'll look at i...

Your Shortcut to... Remembrance Day

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month was the time in 1918 when the guns on Europe’s Western Front fell silent after more than 4 years of war. A...

Your Shortcut to... what's going down at COP26

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's been a lot of buildup to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. It's currently underway and the world leaders part of it is now wrapped up. ...

Your Shortcut to... the what's what of summits

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With a meeting of G20 nations this week and COP26 taking place next week, there's lots of talk about summits of late. So we've handpicked a few of the...

Your Shortcut to... the Japanese Imperial Family's woman problem

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Japan, a royal wedding scheduled for 26 October is causing quite the stir. That's because it's the wedding of the Emperors' niece, and if you are f...

Your Shortcut to... Voluntary Assisted Dying Laws

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Just a few weeks ago, Queensland joined Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania in passing voluntary assisted dying laws, which mak...

Your Shortcut to... Anti-corruption Commissions

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a shock to many, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklan not only resigned but bowed out of state politics completely last Friday. That's because she's being...

Your Shortcut to... Australia's climate agenda in 2021

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we head towards the end of the year, climate change is going to be the talk of the town. That's because in just over a month's time, around 25,000 ...

Your Shortcut to... Submarines

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Australia will join a new security alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States to share their top-secret technology, which means we can bui...

Your Shortcut to... State and territory borders

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The closing of our state and territory borders is something most Aussies had never thought possible. But then came COVID-19, and those state lines hav...

Your Shortcut to... 9/11

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This Saturday will mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Two decades later, the impact of what happene...

Your Shortcut to... the ANZUS alliance

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance - that's a treaty between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. So, it's an importa...

Your Shortcut to... Australia's vaccines

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are set to be four different vaccines available to Australians in the coming year. If you're anything like us, incessant reporting about AstraZe...

Your Shortcut to... The Paralympics

22 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Paralympics start next week and after a massive medal haul by the Aussies at the recent Olympics, we're riding the Olympics train for as long as w...

Your Shortcut to... the Taliban

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Given the conditions in the country when they last ruled, there are huge concerns about what a Tali...

Your Shortcut to... Buy Now, Pay Later

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Online shopping is a favourite pastime but how we finance it is big business and therefore news. Lately, that news has been the sale of buy now, pay l...

Your Shortcut to... the Census

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Census is a massive national survey taken by the Australia Bureau of Statistics - the ABS - that counts every single person and household in Austr...

Your Shortcut to... Elon Musk

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk is definitely one of a kind - whether it's because of his ambitious business goals or controversial tweets he's someone that pops up in the ...

Your Shortcut to... the Road to Tokyo

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Games are finally here... Of course we’re talking about the Tokyo Olympics. Delayed last year, it’s been a long and tough road to get to the s...

Your Shortcut to... Afghanistan

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The US and its allies are withdrawing the last of their troops from Afghanistan after one of their longest military engagements. It amid rising violen...

Your Shortcut to... Superannuation

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Superannuation, for plenty of us is something that’s just always been a line item on our pay check. Its goes out, and somewhere way in the future we...

Your Shortcut to... the Mouse Plague

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mouse plague - chilling words. For parts of Australia, it's been the reality for thousands of people. They've been battling millions of mice in their ...

Your Shortcut to... the life and times of Barnaby Joyce

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Barnaby Joyce has been in politics for the best part of 16 years. This week, for the second time, he was has won the job of Leader of the Nationals Pa...

Your Shortcut to... Cyberattacks

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cyberattacks are one of those things we all know we are exposed to, and if you follow the news, you know it happens... And not just to individuals but...

Your Shortcut to... Concussion and Sport

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As evidence builds around the long term impact of repeated head knocks in sport, sporting codes are putting in place protocols to protect players. The...