Good morning, Thomas Morgan here with today's AM newsletter.

Fuelled by generous government incentives, Australians are rapidly embracing home solar and battery systems. But "solar cowboys" are leaving some in the lurch, with a 7.30 investigation finding one major player being subjected to hundreds of consumer complaints.

Plus, why a Chinese research vessel's movements off a Pacific island have security experts suspicious of its motives, and federal and NSW government aid promised for the Tomago smelter. And residents in one British town are heading to the polls today, with a man wearing a bin among the candidates vying for their vote.

What's the story? Australia's "number one" solar panel and battery retailer, promoted by some of the country's most famous faces, is under scrutiny across multiple states after a flood of complaints about Solar Power Nation's work. 7.30 can reveal the company is under investigation over claims of unsafe, unfinished or defective work and a range of other issues.

What have people experienced? After Adrian Goodfellow installed a solar panel, battery and inverter system worth almost $30,000, he thought lower power bills would flow. Instead, he has never switched the system on, with an independent assessment finding it was "substandard" with issues that require "immediate" addressing.

What does Solar Power Nation say? Solar Power Nation declined to sit down for an interview, but in a statement said issues like those Mr Goodfellow were experiencing were outliers. The company also did not answer questions about whether it traded while insolvent potentially as far back as June 2022.

And what about the wider industry? Some within the sector are critical of so-called "solar cowboys" with a poor track record. And the nation's consumer watchdog is also calling for more oversight of the industry and for governments to be more willing to remove access to taxpayer subsidies for companies doing the wrong thing.

Survey ship: The president of the tiny Pacific island of Palau is publicly questioning why a Chinese research vessel recently strayed into his country's waters for 14 hours, the latest in a string of incursions. So is it science or spying? Security experts are growing increasingly convinced that the vessel, and dozens others like it, has a dual purpose.

'Irresponsible behaviour': Those concerning movements come as Taiwan condemns planned military exercises between China and Indonesia off the island's coast. Beijing has intensified its efforts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, and in ‌June began coastguard patrols off its east coast.

Melon saga: Sussan Ley's observations during a post-political journey across a "bleak" America are a potent reminder that our leaders need to keep their focus on what matters, writes Insiders host David Speers. This week however, Ley's successor was mounting a full-on, melon-themed assault on Anthony Albanese's character.

Generational help: When Hayley decided to rejoin the workforce after having her daughter, she and her partner ran up against the great catch 22 in Australia's childcare system, that the more they worked, the more expensive childcare became. They are among the increasing number of Australian families turning to grandparents to fill the gap as the cost of education and care skyrockets.

Smelter bailout: The federal and NSW governments will spend $2.5 billion over 10 years to secure the future of Australia's largest aluminium smelter, Tomago Aluminium. Its owner Rio Tinto had been threatening to close the facility from 2029 due to energy costs.

Payroll concerns: The Fair Work Ombudsman is running the ruler over the operations of recruitment marketplace Supp, which has been matching workers with hospitality venues for nearly a decade. Of particular concern to the watchdog is how the platform refers to workers as "independent contractors" and handles their pay on behalf of businesses.

Leavitt out: After recently returning from maternity leave, Donald Trump's chief White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down to focus on being a mother. Mr Trump says it is "a decision I totally understand and respect" and that she will remain one of his top outside advisers.

After years of shrinking, Ashley Curtis's world was starting to expand again. It took years after being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder for the former competitive cyclist to begin to feel independent again.

A big breakthrough came when Ashley began spending time with a trained assistance dog, which allowed him to walk in his garden without dissociating for the first time in years.

But now he says all that progress could be undone by an NDIS decision that could see his life shrink back down to a single room.

A 5,900-year-old "intergalactic space warrior", an Australian software engineer and the man who some believe could be the next British prime minister walk into an English seaside town — it sounds like the premise of a bad 90s sitcom.

But that out-of-this-world scenario is exactly what voters are being presented with in Clacton-on-Sea in what is shaping up to be one of Britain's strangest by-elections.

Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more.

Thomas and the ABC News Digital team.

Solar Power Nation is spruiked by a number of current and former sports stars but the major retailer is facing investigations in multiple states as consumer complaints rise into the hundreds.

Behind the scenes, Angus Taylor and Anthony Albanese have been engaged in a rare level of cooperation this week, but in public the opposition leader is using the melon saga to mount an all-out assault on the prime minister's character.