Good morning. After a tumultuous year in politics, it was fitting that the final parliamentary sitting went down to the wire with a dramatic late-night vote that saw Labor muster the numbers it needed to pass its industrial relations reforms through the Senate. On Friday morning, the package passed the parliament, pretty much intact. There was a short burst of applause from the government side and a couple of hugs.
Territorian representatives will also go home happy after they regained the right to decide assisted dying laws.
We have more brilliant reporting this morning on the vaping and nicotine addiction crisis affecting Australian teenagers, and in Qatar the Socceroos are ropeable about having to play their big clash with Argentina so soon after their famous Denmark win.
Australia
Euthanasia rights | A busy evening in Canberra saw territory governments finally regain the right to make their own laws about assisted dying after senators voted (pictured) to overturn a 25-year-long ban.
Workplace win | Labor’s workplace reforms – the biggest in decades – also passed the Senate last night with support from the Greens and David Pocock, defying a late Coalition filibuster attempt led by former employment minister Michaelia Cash. It got final approval in the lower house this morning. For the latest, follow today’s blog.
‘It’s demoralising’ | Hardships including people being forced to buy expired food and move light bulbs from room to room are detailed in a study released today investigating life on sub-poverty jobseeker payments in Australia.
Stream team | Executives from Warner Bros Discovery are reportedly in talks with Nine and Foxtel about licensing HBO content, with potentially significant implications for what Australians can watch on streaming services.
World
Virus surge | Hospitalisations for respiratory viruses such as RSV, influenza and others are surging across the United States, with children under five – especially newborns and premature babies – at the most risk.
Ukraine war | France has become the first major western state to publicly back the creation of a special tribunal to try senior Russian officials – potentially including Vladimir Putin – for the crime of aggression in Ukraine.
New China ‘mission’ | China’s Covid policy is entering a “new stage and mission” in the latest indication of the government’s changing approach after some lockdowns were eased in response to mass protests.
Channel Adani | One of India’s few remaining news channels known for independent reporting is about to be taken over by Guatam Adani, Asia’s richest man and the industrialist behind the controversial Adani coal project in Queensland.
Royal rumpus | Netflix has released an emotionally charged trailer of its forthcoming documentary series about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Buckingham Palace reels from a racism incident.
Full Story
Have the Nationals derailed the voice to parliament?
The National party say they won’t support the Indigenous voice to parliament, derailing hopes for bipartisan support for a referendum. Lenore Taylor, Lorena Allam and Mike Ticher discuss whether the politics is getting in the way of a genuine debate.
Have the Nationals derailed the voice to parliament?
In-depth
Our medical editor, Melissa Davey, has exposed the way in which vaping has led to spiralling levels of nicotine addiction among young people. She has been listening to the tragic stories of parents and doctors struggling to help children deal with the crisis. We also have an explainer about how bad the problem has become and how teenagers have become addicted in the first place.
Not the news
Each year, the Grattan Institute compiles a list of must-reads for the prime minister – and anyone else “interested in policy”. This time around the suggestions for Anthony Albanese include Buried Treasure by Jo Chandler, the story of Australia’s million-year ice core project in Antarctica; Jessica Au’s novel Cold Enough for Snow about a mother and daughter travelling to Japan; and Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health by the American neuroscientist and psychiatrist Thomas Insel.
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The world of sport
Cricket | Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne both completed double centuries on the second day of the first Test against the West Indies in Perth, declaring on 598-4 before the visitors reached 74-0 before stumps.
World Cup | Australia and Argentina have criticised Fifa for scheduling their last-16 match for three days after their final World Cup group games, with defender Miloš Degenek saying the short turnaround treats players like “robots”.
AFL | Collingwood says it is making strides to remove the stain of racism and wants other AFL teams to learn from its lessons.
World Cup | Belgium are on their way home after missing a series of chances and allowing Croatia to scrape through. Morocco topped Group F after beating Canada 2-1.
Media roundup
The New South Wales treasurer, Matt Kean, has given Scott Morrison a spray on Q&A over his secret ministries, the ABC reports, and called for Australians to judge the former prime minister at the ballot box. The lord mayor of Adelaide, Jane Lomax-Smith, collapsed at a Christmas function in the city yesterday afternoon, the Advertiser reports. The overturning of the assisted dying laws in the territories is marked with extensive coverage in the Canberra Times and it’s also a big story for the NT News, which calls the 25-year restriction on territory rights “archaic”. The Age says more public venues could set up for Melburnians to watch the Socceroos’ last-16 World Cup match against Argentina on Sunday morning.
What’s happening today
Hillsong hearing | Hearing for Hillsong founder and pastor Brian Houston who has been charged with concealing an alleged child sex offence in the 1970s. He has pleaded not guilty.
Dawson sentencing | Chris Dawson, the former teacher found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette, is expected to be sentenced in Sydney today.
Whitlam memorial | The Whitlam Institute and Western Sydney University will officially dedicate the Whitlam Prime Ministerial Home at Cabramatta.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.