Mike Seccombe While the government celebrates the medevac repeal, Labor and the Greens push for detail – and documentation – of the pact struck with Senator Jacqui Lambie.

Rick Morton As the ACCC inquires into the data use of digital platforms, the government is caught in a faceoff between News Corp and the tech giants.

Margaret Paton Facing funding shortfalls, public schools have turned to fundraising and parental contributions, prompting debate about whether our education system remains free.

Rosemary Forde A pioneer of the arte útil movement – in which art goes beyond aesthetics and is a tool for social change – Cuban performance artist Tania Bruguera aims to transform audiences through her politically charged work. “I have been fighting not only for my ideas but also to break this illusion that art to be art has to be useless, has to be apolitical.”

Josh Bornstein The recent mea culpa by Woolworths of a decade-long underpayment of thousands of its employees came as an embarrassment to the workplace regulator, the Fair Work Ombudsman. The record-breaking underpayment of $300 million to some 5700 employees appears to have unfolded right in front of the regulator’s eyes. Then this week a class action was launched alleging the figure could be as high as $620 million.

Paul Bongiorno Gone in a cloud of bluff and bravado is the compassionate medevac law that gave doctors the major role in transferring sick refugees to Australia for treatment. The senate and the people of Australia were told by the Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie that she had put to the government a proposal ‘to work with me to secure my support’ for the medevac repeal. And then it got very strange.

Richard Ackland Citizens of Sydney and nearby parts wake each morning to the smell of their environment going up in smoke. Trees, leaves, animals, fences and homes are ablaze. The sky is a sinister colour, the rivers are empty, the air is dangerous, the oceans are filled with junk, islands are disappearing, the Earth is on its knees and the price of bread has gone up.

The prime minister speaks of taking action. “Practical, meaningful action.” To buoy our economy, protect our land, lower emissions and create new jobs. On Thursday, as parliament hurtled to a close for the year, he took action – moving ruthlessly to push his union-busting bill through the house of representatives once more, undeterred by last week’s shock defeat in the senate.

Mike Seccombe As governments and police increasingly rely on algorithms and automation, legal experts warn these systems could undermine key discrimination protections.

Jonathan Pearlman Russia–China gas pipeline opens. New Zealand bans foreign political donations. Britain goes to the polls. United Nations climate conference in Spain.

Steve Dow Tommy Murphy’s Packer & Sons at Belvoir examines the inherited and inherent misbehaviour and barbarism of Australia’s best-known media dynasties.

Miriam Cosic A world-first double exhibition creates a spirited conversation between the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, and reveals how their art resonates with today’s political climate.

Maxine Beneba Clarke

David Moyle

Margaret Simons While reviving her garden after its recent woes, the author is reminded of a handy way to deal with summer weeds – using a trick she learnt from her mother.

Daniel Herborn The WNBL turned 40 this season and stands as Australia’s oldest semi-professional female sporting competition. But with women’s AFL, rugby league and cricket surging, is it losing ground?

Cindy MacDonald Test your general knowledge with our weekly quiz.