  Improved potential solutions are presented for the inverse scattering problem
for $d$+$^4$He data. The input for the inversions includes both the data of
recent phase shift analyses and phase shifts from RGM coupled-channel
calculations based on the NN Minnesota force. The combined calculations provide
a more reliable estimate of the odd-even splitting of the potentials than
previously found, suggesting a rather moderate role for this splitting in
deuteron-nucleus scattering generally. The approximate parity-independence of
the deuteron optical potentials is shown to arise from the nontrivial
interference between antisymmetrization and channel coupling to the deuteron
breakup channels. A further comparison of the empirical potentials established
here and the double folding potential derived from the M3Y effective NN force
(with the appropriate normalisation factor) reveals strong similarities. This
result supports the application of the double folding model, combined with a
small Majorana component, to the description even of such a loosely bound
projectile as the deuteron. In turn, support is given for the application of
iterative-perturbative inversion in combination with the double folding model
to study fine details of the nucleus-nucleus potential. A $d$-$^4$He tensor
potential is also derived to reproduce correctly the negative $^6$Li quadrupole
moment and the D-state asymptotic constant.
