The Informer: Energy storm, Pocock holds key vote

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has thrown his predecessor Angus Taylor into the midst of that storm, doubling down on convictions that Mr Taylor helped get the energy market here.

This comes as the Energy Security Board on Monday unveiled the draft design for a contentious mechanism which will be used to maintain reliability during the transition to renewables.

Also in federal politics, ACT Independent Senator David Pocock has emerged as the key vote the Albanese government will need to pass legislation after all state and territory senators were finalised on Monday.

Labor and the Greens will command one vote short of a combined upper-house majority.

Looking at the pandemic, Australia is on course to reach 15,000 COVID deaths by the end of the year.

It's a stark contrast to the onset of the pandemic, where a single death could stop the nation.

"People just want to move on, so largely, we seem to becoming a bit desensitised to the deaths," Newcastle University immunologist Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett said.

"But this number of deaths each week is really not acceptable over the long term."

The rolling average deaths per week is sitting at 40.

In NSW, Premier Dominic Perrottet will set aside $500 million in Tuesday's state budget to address housing affordability.

And the barren shelves of your local supermarket may inspire frustration, but creativity is not far behind.

Reach for our winter meal ideas on a budget while they're still hot.

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