Neale Daniher, a former AFL footballer and coach, died on Monday, 13 years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Victorian buildings will be lit up in his honour, because nothing says 'mourning' quite like a municipal light show. Meanwhile, a Labor MP challenged Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in a closed-door meeting over the government's support for Israel - presumably not about whose turn it was to bring the biscuits.

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Chris Bowen, who has also taken on the role of president of negotiations at the COP climate summit, says that Australia's involvement is 'very good value for money'. He fired back at critics claiming it costs $200 million: 'Mr T [is] out there saying it's $200m. He's lying.' (We assume he means the Treasurer, not the A-Team star.) Bowen noted that hosting international events costs money - John Howard chaired APEC, Tony Abbott chaired the G20, and Labor supported them because they're 'a patriotic party'. So this 12-month presidency is an opportunity for Australia to play an outsized role in climate negotiations, most of which hasn't been spent yet.

On energy prices, Bowen touted three solutions: more renewable energy in the grid; renewable batteries absorbing some of the coal and gas used at peak night-time hours; and reforming the default market offer to ensure 'only the absolutely necessary prices or costs are included.' He explained that batteries 'flatten the peak' - the biggest price pressure comes at night when coal and gas are called upon more. By storing daytime renewables for night use, batteries put 'very significant downward pressure on prices.' As for gas production impacts, Bowen said they're mainly seeing effects on oil for now, but they're 'not complacent.' In other words, they've spotted the iceberg but haven't started steering yet.

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