Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 20 October. Top stories After 26 days and 25 nights New Zealand has finally formed a government – with Labour's charismatic Jacinda Ardern at the helm, the youngest person to ever lead New Zealand. Yesterday the kingmaker NZ First's Winston Peters threw his support behind Labour, saying "For too many New Zealanders, capitalism has not been their friend but their foe ... We believe capitalism must regain its human face, and that conviction deeply influenced our decision." Peters also cited spiralling rates of child poverty, a lack of affordable housing, and power and money being held in too few hands in making his decision. The Green party has also signed a confidence and supply deal with Labour. It will be the first time the Greens have been in government and their support has been rewarded with three ministerial posts, to be announced next week when the new government is expected to be sworn in. So who is Jacinda Ardern? Less than three months ago Ardern was busy renovating her home and had no higher aspirations than being minister for children. When asked to be leader in August, Ardern said no – seven times – until her hand was forced: reinvigorate the Labour party or watch it tank at the election. Ardern stepped up and "Jacindamania" was born, reigniting the political landscape and giving her party a 19-point leap in the polls in just over a month. So is it Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, or Jacinda Ardern, saviour of the left? The last car rolls off the production line at Holden's Elizabeth car plant in Adelaide. It won't be alone though. More than 2,000 Holden fans are making the trek to the factory for the dawn shift to mark the end of the mass manufacturing of cars in Australia and, specifically, of the Australian versions of the beloved Commodore and its forerunners. Calla Wahlquist met one family who were making a 1,000km round trip to the factory for the second time in six days to be there at the end. The first was a celebration of Holden and its Australian workers. "This next trip's more like going to a funeral," Daniel Grant says. "When they said years ago that they were going to [close the plant] I said I've got to be there on the day they build their last car. To pay my respects, I suppose." The Commodore, Australia's best-selling car from 1996 to 2000 and a fixture on every suburban street, will go on – but not in its current form. Tom Marino might have withdrawn from consideration as Trump's drug czar, but drug money is coursing through the veins of Congress and contributing directly to an epidemic that is killing tens of thousands of Americans each year. Pharmaceutical companies spend far more than any other industry to influence American politicians. Drugmakers have poured close to $2.5bn into lobbying and funding members of Congress over the past decade. Nine out of 10 members of the House of Representatives and all but three of the US's 100 senators have taken campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies seeking to affect legislation, on everything from the cost of drugs to how new medicines are approved. Mark Butler, the shadow minister for climate change, says Labor is committed to its 50% renewables target and will use Malcolm Turnbull's new national energy guarantee to reach it, if necessary. Speaking exclusively to Guardian Australia, Butler says Labor has been "crystal clear" in discussions with industry stakeholders, and with state governments, that it will use any mechanism, either one of its own or one it inherits, to drive 50% renewable energy by 2030. But he says it is not relevant at the moment whether federal Labor supports or opposes the government's new policy because the Turnbull government will not be in a position to implement it if the states veto it. The full interview will be available soon in podcast form. Workers at Elon Musk's electric car company, Tesla, have claimed they have been the victim of anti-LGBT threats, taunts and racial abuse whilst working at the company, in this Guardian exclusive. A factory worker says he was harassed for being gay, and a father and son say they faced daily racial discrimination; both claim that Tesla failed to stop it. The allegations come at a time when Tesla and companies across Silicon Valley are facing widespread scrutiny over harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct, with Tesla also facing accusations of underpaying its female staff and allegations of sexual harrassment. In a statement, Tesla called the claims "unmeritorious" and argued that it was was not responsible since the employees are contractors. Two Queensland councils will pay at least $31m to build an airstrip for Adani's Queensland coalmine if the energy giant fails to sew up a deal with traditional owners. Townsville and Rockhampton councils last week announced they would spend $15.5m each on the airport – hundreds of kilometres away – in a deal to secure Adani's guarantee of 2,200 construction jobs for their residents. Townsville has agreed to pay up to $18.5m if the airport is shifted to a second location outside Wangan and Jagalingou land, where Adani's right to build Australia's largest coalmine is tied up in a drawn-out legal battle with a traditional owners group. Rockhampton, which originally put up $20m for the airport in a bid to gain Adani's guarantee, may also invest up to $18.5m. Sport Lebanon's World Cup is about so much more than simply rugby league. Joe Gorman speaks to NRL great Robbie Farah, who will don the Cedars shirt at the upcoming tournament in Australia, and others who expect the game to continue to unify Lebanese people of all religions amid internal divisions within their communities.
The Women's Ashes gets under way on Sunday in Brisbane, but which players can potentially shape the series? This interactive tool tries to provide the answers.
Thinking time |
What do Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes, Miles Franklin award-winner Michelle de Kretser, and Benjamin Law's mum all have in common? They all have books out this month and – along with Jane Harper, Vanessa Berry, Peter Greste and more – they've shared what they're looking forward to reading in the weeks to come. For such a diverse group of writers, there's very little overlap in their tastes. Some prefer to forgo fiction while they write their own books, while for others it's an essential lifeline of ideas and inspiration. In his recent London speech, former prime minister Tony Abbott argued against the "religion" of climate change and for the need of "less theology". Geoff Thompson says Abbott needs to brush up on his knowledge of scripture, as it's not the first time his use of the Bible is clumsy in the battle to defend western culture, or his interpretation of it. "He's very strong on defending western culture and its Judaeo-Christian roots. For this cause he is an unwavering ideological warrior. But as in all wars, truth is often the first casualty. In this case, it's the truth of the very scriptures Abbott himself employs." From the earliest days of Hollywood, women were stage-managed and manipulated by older men in powerful positions. And it's clear that although Harvey Weinstein has been outed, little has changed in 100 years of the industry, with sexism and exploitation still systematic and corrosive. "The power imbalance between female stars and older male executives is so well broadcast that it features in Hollywood films and awards ceremonies," writes the Guardian's Pamela Hutchinson. "As a plot device or as a joke, and nobody takes the trouble to hide it." What's he done now? It was a busy night for Donald Trump, who has accused Russia, the FBI and the Democratic party of conspiring against him, insinuating they paid for a dossier prepared by former British spy Christopher Steele that explores alleged collusion between Russia and Trump in the lead-up to the election. "Workers of firm involved with the discredited and Fake Dossier take the 5th," Trump tweeted. "Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)? Media roundup A number of Australian newspapers lead with the announcement of Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand's new prime minister. "The Jacinda Factor," reads the Canberra Times headline. "NZ's Brexit, as Peters chooses Labour to rule" on the front page of the Financial Review. And at the Australian the somewhat unkind, and inherently contradictory, "NZ shock: losers take power". The NT News says sweeping changes to the territory's alcohol laws are imminent, with minimum standard drink prices to be introduced ($1.50), drink-drive rules for boaties, and the re-establishment of an independent liquor commission. A quarter of Australian women experience heavy and painful periods, the ABC says, but relief may be nigh with medical guidelines to be introduced to help doctors give their patients the best possible treatment, and curb the high number of hysterectomies that take place in Australia.
Coming up Debate has continued throughout the night in the Victorian parliament on its assisted dying bill. Despite attempts to adjourn the sitting, the vote may not take place until later on Friday morning. NAB and Commonwealth Bank bosses will appear before the House of Representatives economics committee. Alpha Cheng, the son of murdered New South Wales police accountant Curtis Cheng, will speak at NSW Parliament House. Supporting the Guardian We'd like to acknowledge our generous supporters who enable us to keep reporting on the critical stories. If you value what we do and would like to help, please make a contribution or become a supporter today. Thank you. |
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Jacinda Ardern speaks at a press conference at Parliament on Thursday after outgoing New Zealand PM Bill English conceded defeat. Photograph: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images 
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