Your noon Briefing

Hello readers. Here’s the latest on how the day is playing out plus a long read for lunchtime.

Hello readers. In your noon digest, the same-sex marriage bill amendments are debated in parliament, Clive Palmer’s troublesome tweets and a long read on Russia’s shady sports tsar.

A mural by Australian street artist Scottie Marsh depicts former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott marrying himself on the wall of a cafe in Sydney on September 22, 2017. Abbott, an outspoken critic of same-sex marriage, said he was headbutted by a man wearing a "yes" badge, raising fears campaigning ahead of a postal vote was turning violent. / AFP PHOTO / PETER PARKS

‘Not many in the house who oppose SSM’

Tony Abbott says amendments being pushed in the House should be treated on their merits rather than face blanket opposition from Labor as he throws his support behind proposals pushed by Liberal MP Michael Sukkar. “I think it would be wrong to say there are very many people left in this house who are opposed to same-sex marriage,” Mr Abbott told the House. Keep up with all the developments from parliament in our live blog, PoliticsNow.

“What there are left in this house ... is people who believe in freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and parental choice.”

Tony Abbott

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Clive Palmer has tweeted while the case is ongoing in the Federal Court. He tweeted a picture of himself and the words “Hey memesters you vibin’ my style?”

Clive’s bad vibes

Clive Palmer has been ordered to file an affidavit explaining the substance of a post he supposedly made on social media while he was meant to be in Federal Court. The mining magnate, who was not present in the Brisbane court this morning, was supposed to appear in court and produce financial documents relating to his flagship company, Mineralogy. Judge John Reeves ordered the former Federal Member for Fairfax to produce, by next Wednesday, an explanation of a tweet posted to Twitter while he was meant to be in court on December 1.

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Stressed college student for exam in classroom

China’s big stick on students

In a veiled threat to Australian universities, a state-run Chinese newspaper has warned that their treatment of the country’s students is jeopardising billions of dollars in tuition fees. An editorial yesterday in the Global Times said Australian institutions were treating Chinese students as a “cash machine” while doing little to help them mix with locals, and miscasting them as “spies” when they spoke out.

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6/12/2017: The Greens first ever elected MP in Queensland parliament , Michael Berkman, outside the QLD Parliament in Brisbane. Berkman will officially declare victory in the leafy LNP-held seat of Maiwar, in leafy inner-Brisbane, after the party's most successful QLD campaign ever. Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

Greens grab first seat

Greens candidate Michael Berkman has claimed victory in the leafy Brisbane seat of Maiwar, saying winning the party’s first elected position in Queensland parliament is a “historic moment”. The Electoral Commission of Queensland is yet to officially declare the seat but the Greens are confident with over 86 per cent of the vote counted, they have the numbers to secure victory.

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(FILES) This file photo taken on February 24, 2014 shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) posing for a photo with Russian athletes, winners of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi. Vladimir Putin has staked Russia's prestige -- and his own reputation -- on sporting achievements but a possible ban from the Winter Olympics after claims of state-run doping threatens to wipe out any successes. / AFP PHOTO / SPUTNIK / MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV

The long read: Russia’s shady sports tsar

Jacquelin Magnay investigates Vitaly Mutko, the former bureaucrat now banned for life for his leading role in Russia’s dastardly plot to re-establish the country as a sporting superpower, all the while cheating in a brazen attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games.

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Comment of the day:

“In a perverse way, Dastyari has done Australia a favour, waking the general public up to what has been going on for years.”

Terryd, in response to ‘Sam Dastyari feels heat after hounding defence officials’.