Last Saturday night, for the first time ever, I felt a sense of normalcy as I pulled on the Melbourne jumper. Not in the form of complacency, but a familiarity in my single-mindedness.

The Victorian government is demanding the operator of Australia's main electricity grid explain how the state came close to losing electricity during the recent extreme heatwave to ensure NSW avoided power outages, adding to calls for a wider inquiry.

The local sharemarket ended another big day of reporting season in the red, as a slide in miners led by Rio Tinto offset a number of positive earnings surprises.

Planning minister Anthony Roberts is seeking advice about new powers to refuse coal mining applications.

Ardent chief executive Deborah Thomas says she is "not going anywhere" and will work to restore the theme park operator to its former glory after the company sank to a $49.4 million loss for the December half following the fatal accident at its Dreamworld theme park in October.