The Informer: Leaders get shouty, COVID reinfections could be surging

It was a shouty affair, with energy prices, a federal ICAC, housing policy, national security and free-to-air sport access all ricocheting about.

But with the two men intent on sledging each other, voters could well be left wondering if their interests are truly at the top of the priority list.

Away from the frontline, Labor has proposed top graduates would receive up to $12,000 a year to study teaching, as a means to raise the standards in the classroom.

The plan would see Labor, if elected, offer school leavers with an ATAR of 80 or above a sum of $10,000 a year to study a teaching degree.

Students who agreed to teach in a regional area would be handed an extra $2000 a year.

The scheme, which is based on a UK program, would be offered to a total of 5000 students over five years.

Health care professionals believe COVID-19 reinfections are surging across the country, but these case loads may never be known as governments abandon attempts to track second cases.

Pre-Omicron data in Denmark showed reinfections accounted for around 4 per cent of new cases, but a British study in February showed that number rising to 10 per cent - the UK has now reported more than 800,000 reinfections.

"We can't say hand over heart the same thing's happening here, but there's no reason why we wouldn't be seeing a reasonably large number of reinfections in Australia as well," infectious diseases analyst Adrian Esterman said.

But election drama and pandemic madness aside, there are other home truths that need attention.

Like the devastating floods after years of drought, and fires worse than ever before.

Australian Community Media's Home Truths campaign is looking at the causes of and solutions to the homelessness crisis on NSW's South Coast where many are still living in temporary housing.

They have one question: Where did all the bushfire funding relief go?

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