Deal or no deal: can Labor avoid an ‘end-of-year dumpster fire’ and pass its legislative agenda?

Labor’s surest path through the Senate is to seek the Coalition’s support for its bills – but you never can be too sure. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The final parliamentary sitting week of the year is here!

That odour you’re smelling is drip filter coffee to fuel late-night Senate votes and the faint whiff of desperation to pass as much of the government’s legislative agenda as possible.