In case you need a bit of beauty to start your week, here are some photos of the Aurora Australis (southern lights) that some lucky Australians got to see over the weekend.

The lights were visible across Victoria, Tasmania, southern Western Australia, parts of South Australia and in far western New South Wales, according to the BOM.

The quote
“Coles and Woolworths are making billions in profits because they feel that they can overcharge people without repercussions (and) it needs to end. We want the CEOs to justify their decisions in a public hearing.” – Greens Senator Nick McKim in a statement after the Greens won support for a Senate inquiry that will investigate whether major supermarkets are price gouging amid a cost of living crisis.

The stat
5
The number of Australians who have become billionaires in 2023, according to financial services company UBS.

Today in history
2016: NZ Prime Minister John Key resigned after eight years in office, citing personal reasons.

Some headlines from this morning:

Queensland could become the first state to count babies as separate patients to their birth parent when they're staying in the same hospital room, under draft laws tabled last week.

Expanded abortion access has also been proposed in the draft laws.

Here's what you need to know.

Nursing ratios
The legislation proposes introducing minimum staffing ratios of one midwife to every six patients in maternity wards.

The draft laws clarify the status of a newborn baby as a separate patient to their birthing parent when staying in a maternity ward. This will also apply to babies who aren't born alive and extends to very preterm births.

Abortion access
The draft laws also propose allowing registered nurses and midwives to perform early medical abortions in Queensland.

This would allow midwives and nurses to prescribe, administer, and supply abortion drugs up to nine weeks' gestation. Doctors will remain the only health practitioners able to perform surgical and medical terminations after that period.

Queensland's Minister for Health and Women Shannon Fentiman said: "Nurses and midwives have the necessary skills, experience, qualifications and training to be able to undertake this important role and provide greater access to reproductive healthcare, particularly in rural and remote communities."

The draft law comes after Australia's medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, made changes to allow any appropriate health practitioner to prescribe MS-2 Step, the medical abortion drug, provided that the state or territory allows it.

Will it pass?
The legislation was introduced last week, and was immediately referred to a Parliamentary Committee for further scrutiny.

The Committee will provide a report on the draft laws, which will influence potential amendments to the legislation.

The Labor Government has a majority of seats in Queensland Parliament – where there is only one house – meaning they can pass the draft laws without any additional support.

The Federal Government has said it is working on legislation to re-detain people from immigration detention.

It comes after the High Court ruled that indefinite immigration detention in Australia is unlawful. This triggered the release of over 140 detainees from detention, many of whom had a criminal history.

Those people have already served their sentences. Most are refugees who cannot be deported.

First, the decision
In November, the High Court ruled that indefinite detention in Australia is unlawful. This decision related to a case about a Rohingya refugee born in Myanmar, who was identified as 'NZYQ'.

NZYQ arrived in Australia by boat in 2012. In 2015, NZYQ was charged and subsequently convicted on one count of child sexual abuse in Australia. He was released on parole in 2018 and returned to immigration detention.

NZYQ applied for a protection visa while in criminal custody, but it was rejected. NZYQ could not return to Myanmar due to fear of persecution and no other country was willing to take him, meaning he was being held indefinitely in immigration detention.

NZYQ argued that indefinite detainment should be a matter for the courts, not the Government, to decide. The High Court unanimously agreed with this, prompting his immediate release, as well as other people being held in similar circumstances.

The reasons
The High Court published its reasons for the decision last week.

It said the Government had infringed upon the Constitution, as they used powers reserved for the courts to indefinitely detain people.

This finding relates to detainees who have "no real prospect" of being deported from Australia in the foreseeable future. It doesn't apply to detainees set to be deported, or where a pathway to deportation exists.

The fallout
The Government argued against the release of detainees.

One week after the decision was announced, it introduced draft laws that would add strict conditions on those released due to the ruling. This includes the use of ankle monitors to track the movements of some former detainees.

It passed Parliament the same day it was introduced.

Preventive laws
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the Government is now "moving quickly" to introduce preventive detention legislation aimed at re-detaining those freed by the High Court decision. It's not yet clear if all or only some of the detainees will be targeted under the proposed laws.

The Government plans on making this law as soon as possible. O'Neil has said Parliament will not break for Christmas until the preventive orders are in place.

Meet the woman with the weight of an entire continent on her shoulders: Ons Jabeur. She’s the first African woman in Open Era history to reach a Grand Slam final, and at the Australian Open 2024, she’ll be trying to go one further than her 2022 Wimbledon and US Open finals appearances.

The Tunisian powerhouse received a hero's welcome when she returned to her home country after that 2022 Wimbledon final - since then, she’s appeared on everything from the front cover of Vogue Arabia to a Tunisian postage stamp. Oh, and the Tunisian National Order of Merit. Not too shabby.

At Australian Open 2024, we can guarantee that Jabeur won’t only be one of the biggest players in the women’s singles draw - she’ll be one of the most popular players with fans in the stands. We took a deep dive into the story of Ons Jabeur - the tennis player and the human - ahead of AO 2024.

Watch it here, and buy your tickets to see her on court here.

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

Researchers have rediscovered the De Winton’s golden mole species, which they thought were extinct, in South Africa.

The blind animal with great hearing and a golden coat has not been seen since 1936. Researchers had to use DNA samples from a museum to identify the mole as the correct species.

If you want your friends to wake up with us too, refer them!

We’ll even sweeten the deal for you…

You currently have {{rp_num_referrals}} referrals.

You’re only {{rp_num_referrals_until_next_milestone}} away from your next reward!

Or send them your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}

Your friends will get a confirmation email that they need to click before your referrals are successful and you get your rewards.

If you want your friends to wake up with us too, forward this email to them or send them your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here (it’s free!)

Usually, parliamentary debate on a bill doesn’t reveal much about those doing the actual debating.

But last week in Victorian Parliament was a different case. You see, we had not one, not two, but three senior Victorian politicians admit to having used cannabis in the past.

It came during a debate on a bill put forward by the Legalise Cannabis Party that would allow Victorian adults to legally grow and possess small quantities of cannabis for personal use.

When asked if she had ever taken the drug in the past, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen responded: "I think we [should] come to these questions with an honest answer and not obfuscate.” She added: “It was a long time ago – a long, long time ago.”

Then there was Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas, who said: “I should declare I have used [cannabis] and I don’t think a criminal approach to this is best, a health-based approach should be best.”

On the other side of politics, Opposition Leader John Pesutt told 3AW he “thinks it was three times” and that he’s “not proud of it”.

What a coincidence! That’s exactly who The Daily Aus reaches. Get in touch with us to see how we can work together.