Your afternoon Briefing

Hello readers. Here’s how Monday played out.

I won’t point fingers, says Albo

I won’t point fingers, says Albo

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has refused to join colleagues in demanding Liberal MP Jason Falinski be referred to the High Court.

The first working day since parliament rose last week has been swamped by the dual citizenship crisis, with Mr Falinski and Labor’s Susan Lamb, Justine Keay and Josh Wilson continuing to face questions over their nationality.

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Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke speaks to the media during a press conference at John Mountford Reserve in Sydney, Monday, December 11, 2017. (AAP Image/Daniel Munoz) NO ARCHIVING

Burke ‘talking to the religious’

Still in politics, Tony Burke has denied he and other Labor members in No voting electorates are feeling pressure from constituents over the issue, after Bill Shorten wrote to religious leaders.

Mr Burke’s Western Sydney electorate of Watson had the second-largest No vote in Australia, along with eight other Labor seats in Western Sydney and two in Melbourne.

“I made an election commitment that I’d vote Yes,” Mr Burke said.

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Facebook photo of 13 year old water ski champion Blake Tickell who was killed in a crash whilst competing on Wyangalla Dam near Cowra in western NSW on Saturday. From Facebook pace https://www.facebook.com/simone.tickell.5?pnref=friends.search

Dad’s tribute after 13-year-old’s tragic death
A heartbroken Sydney father has paid tribute to his 13-year-old son and ‘best mate’ who died in an accident at the state waterskiing titles.

Blake Tickell, from Rouse Hill in Sydney’s northwest, was racing on Wyangala Dam, near Cowra, on Saturday afternoon when he fell heavily. He died at 5.45pm on Sunday night from critical head injuries.

His father Darren Tickell posted a tribute to his son on social media. “Blakey was wise beyond his years, an old soul, had love for everybody, and will be forever in our hearts,” Mr Tickell wrote on Facebook.

“He died doing what he was so passionate about.”

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Couple kept ‘slave’ for 8 years

A woman allegedly kept as a slave by a Melbourne couple for eight years was found emaciated, delirious and with crusted lesions on her hands and feet as she lay in a pool of urine, a court has heard.

Claims made by the Indian woman, who was aged in her 50s at the time, about her treatment are at the centre of a committal hearing which began today.

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Group of people celebrating with Santa hats. They are having fun at a Summer Christmas party, and there is food on the table. There are also cocktails. Istock

How to avoid gaining weight these holidays

Don’t want to ring in 2018 with extra kilos? A nutritionist has some advice on how to navigate holiday buffets and big meals without a food coma. A key takeout: a healthy breakfast keeps you satisfied and means you aren’t over-hungry when the big meal arrives.