In the final days of Parliament before a long break, the federal government tried to rush through drastic new deportation laws that would give it the power to threaten people with jail if they are not deemed refugees and refuse to leave the country.

Labor says the laws close a loophole that prevents the country from deporting people who have exhausted all legal avenues to stay in Australia and are refusing to leave.

But the move was met with strong opposition, and in a bruising loss for the government, all opposition and crossbench senators teamed up to send the laws to a committee for further scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the federal government is also hoping to get its long-awaited fuel efficiency standards through the parliament soon, after making changes to get more car manufacturers on board.

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is chief political correspondent David Crowe, federal migration reporter Angus Thompson, and climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley.

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