ABC TassieCast

Women's access to quality healthcare in Tasmania is back on the table after a state parliamentary committee recently handed down its final report into maternal healthcare in Tasmania prompted by harrowing stories of birth trauma.

Tasmania is experiencing a whooping cough epidemic, it's one of the highly contagious diseases that can be prevented through vaccination. The state is not immune from a national drop in vaccination rates for a whole raft of preventable diseases.So why are more of us baulking at the jab? 

For decades what was dubbed the "Forest Wars" saw conservationists,  police and the Tasmanian timber industry lock horns on a regular basis. But after a period of what many considered a relative peace ...  we might be hearing more about the sector again thanks to changes to national environmental laws. 

Transparency and trust in government ... they're cornerstones of any successful democracy.

Northern Tasmania has been rocked with the news that after 145 years - James Boag beer will no longer be produced in Launceston.Boags – which has traditionally been spruiked as being from the pure waters of Tasmania, will now be produced entirely from the mainland. 

The premier talks about housing as a fundamental human right, the treasurer used his budget speech to talk about delivering a caring community. 

Are you one of Tassie's eight thousand strong Hawks members?If so, you might be feeling a bit gutted right now with the news the AFL has intervened and given the club the boot from the state ... with next season to be the last we see the brown and gold run onto York Park as the home side. It's been a pretty messy divorce after 25 years  ... can the Devils unite the island and to riff on the Hawk's team song, be "One for all and all for one"? 

The state government has already chopped a number of creative courses from education provider TasTAFE ... leading to fears in the arts industry of a state-wide creative brain drain.Let's face it, the discretionary spend on entertainment is getting eaten into by essentials like food and housing ... but are we also poorer if we don't consume those things that feed our soul?

Do you know what your teenager was up to over the school holidays?While they might not have been created in the classroom,  a Hobart school has been criticised for its response to a deepfake incident by some boys who were students at the school where 21 female students were targeted. How should our schools, the legal system and parents tackle this deeply disturbing part of the online world?

Tasmania has a long tradition of young people growing up, spreading their wings, and leaving for the mainland - before for some, returning to the island.But as more jobs demand tertiary qualifications, and as increasing numbers of students bypass the state’s only university for mainland options : is UTas keeping pace, and can it attract and retain the students and staff it needs?Featuring investigative reporter Adam Holmes.

In what's believed to be the biggest study of its kind, a staggering 70 percent of almost 300 of our federal, state and local politicians who took part say the job has adversely affected their mental health. Pollies are people too after all and the study authors reckon we all need to take heed otherwise democracy will suffer.

Many of us are already feeling the pinch ...We've got massive fuel prices, TT Line has added a surcharge, farmers are worried about future production capacity add to that the Easter Bunny is more expensive than ever.  Easter is usually  a mega earner for our tourism industry but what will the ongoing uncertainty do to the pillar of the state's economy?

The manosphere - the online world considered responsible for the rise in anti-social behaviour and  fuelling misogyny is reaching Tassie classrooms. So how and why are men, particular young men getting caught up in this manosphere web?

Kunanyi/Mt Wellington is Tasmania's most visited natural asset but is a cable car the answer to getting more people on the mountain? 

In 2025 there were more than 200 injuries to greyhounds recorded on the track.Many countries have phased the industry out amid animal cruelty concerns ... could Tassie be the first Australian state to do it?Legislation to ban it has passed the lower house and will soon be voted on in the upper house.Featuring 7.30 reporter Adam Langenberg.

When you imagine someone using a needle exchange program, who do you picture? Chances are, it’s not always who you’d expect.

After its public image took a dive last summer when millions of fish died ... the salmon industry sought regulatory approval to use an antibiotic in a bid to prevent more mass deaths.But the spread of that antibiotic well outside the target zone has raised further concerns, about what we might be eating and impacts on other industries. Featuring ABC Hobart mornings presenter Leon Compton.

Imagine what you could do with 200 million dollars. That's how much money Tasmanians lost on pokies last financial year,The government reckons its latest plan is about freedom of choice at the same time as supporting people with gambling addiction. Not everyone is so sure. Featuring reporter Adam Holmes.

They might look like Bambi but they're making a big mess.There are tens of thousands of fallow deer trampling across the landscape and they now outnumber some of our most iconic species.Featuring reporter Meg Whitfield.

Let's face it, Tassie's school report card isn't one to take home proudly.Now with a new school year underway the Education Minister reckons she's found the solution.But will another generation of kids be the guinea pigs? Featuring state political reporter Lucy MacDonald.Get in touch, email us: [email protected]

Two decades after the Beaconsfield mine collapse forever linked the Foo Fighters with Tasmania, the band touches down for a one-off Launceston show hailed as Tassie’s biggest concert ever.

Calais is a young woman from Burnie with Aboriginal, Māori, and French heritage. With the support of her father, Calais is exploring and strengthening her connection to the cultures that shape her identity

Elena’s obsessive-compulsive disorder began after the death of her beloved pet duck. But it wasn’t until she saw the condition portrayed on screen that she understood what was happening.

Fancy weeing in a bottle or number twos in a bag? Australia's Antarctic bases have almost all the creature comforts, but don't be fooled, living in a hostile environment in close confines isn't for the faint hearted.

The reformed Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act runs hundreds of pages long - so what will actually change and will protests become a thing of the past?

Will Tasmanian farmed salmon be on your table this Christmas?

The final siren is about to sound on Tasmania's Macquarie Point Stadium, but are things too far down the line to pull the pin on Tassie's AFL dream now?

Tasmania’s public sector workers say they’ve long felt undervalued as unions push for new deals with the State Government.A revised one-year offer of a 3% pay rise has been knocked back, while the government insists it’s fair given a tight budget.So what does a 'fair' deal look like, and can Tasmania attract workers to much-needed sectors like health and education without competitive pay and conditions? Featuring reporter Selina BryanGet in touch, email us: [email protected]

Have you ever had to call triple zero?It's the one call we should be able to make in an emergency but in parts of Tassie that's not always the case.One community in the Central Highlands recently held a meeting where almost the entire local population turned up to hear and air their fears that poor services are endangering lives. Featuring reporter Ashleigh Barraclough.Get in touch, email us: [email protected]

Just over half of Tasmanian women who should be getting regular breast cancer screening are doing so. But with a key service out of action that number could drop even further putting more women at risk.Luna, the mobile service which has travelled to many regional and remote parts of Tassie to provide free screening is off the road and won't be replaced until late next year.While the government's offering travel subsidies among other measures as a stop gap there are fears it'll mean many women miss getting vital early cancer detection.Featuring reporter Meg Whitfield.Get in touch, email us: [email protected]

Adequate Housing is supposed to be a basic human right ... but around 18 thousand Tasmanians don't have a secure home. Despite government promises to boost affordable housing options and incentives to help buy, experts fear home ownership is now nothing more than a dream for many as house prices continue to rise. That's putting downward pressure on an already tight rental market and growing public housing wait list.Featuring reporter Adam Holmes. Get in touch, email us: [email protected]

A wave of anti-immigration rallies have swept the world and Australia including Tasmania are no exception. Pauline Hanson's daughter Lee stood unsuccessfully at this year's federal election for a Tasmanian Senate spot but continues to be a keynote speaker at those rallies in Tasmania with her eye firmly on the next federal election.Is it part of a One Nation succession plan?Featuring investigative reporter Paddy Manning.

Sadie is a local high school student and young performer whose passion for singing became a lifeline through the hardest chapter in her life.  From taking the stage, to battling a brain tumour and navigating the state healthcare system - ABC Takeover Burnie winner Sadie Harlow shares how she found her voice again. 

How's your hearing? Do you find yourself frequently asking people to repeat themselves? If so you're not alone. Around one in six Tasmanians has some form of hearing loss ... and that number gets higher the older you get.The consequences of even a mild deficit can be profound but it doesn't have to be that way.Featuring reporter Bec Pridham.

Finding out that remains of a loved one ended up part of a museum collection without permission would be nothing short of shocking. An inquest into the actions of the University of Tasmania's RA Rodda Pathology Museum has found that's exactly what happened, not once or twice but for more than 25 years up until the 1990's. Featuring reporter Loretta Lohberger.

Tassie's east coast town of Coles Bay was the first in Australia to ban single-use plastic bags in 2003. How did we go from nation leader to lagger? Featuring reporter Meg Whitfield.

Once a staple of Tassie's suburbs and towns, real bricks and mortar bank branches are now becoming as rare as cash. What if you're not tech savvy or don't have internet access?

Tassie's wildlife is already under increasing pressure, but are we unknowingly adding to their demise?  Have you bought a poison to get rid of rodents? The problem is it might not just be them you get rid of.

Artificial Intelligence, it's here and it's here to stay. What impact is it having on young people ... is it helping them to learn smarter or risk kids outsourcing their brains?

In just over a week Tassie's parliament returns after an early snap election we could ill-afford, brought on by a no confidence motion. We're sort of back where we were, albeit with a few different faces. If minority government is the will of the people do they all need to grow up and make it work.

The proposed Marinus Link between Tasmania and Victoria is the biggest infrastructure project in the state's history. The Liberals have had the business case for the multi-billion undersea cable since before the state election was called ... but didn't share it with anyone. 

While the wheeling and dealing continues over who will ultimately form government after the state election  ... we check out what the prospective governments are offering in the health scope.If they deliver on their election promises, it does appear likely there will be more GP clinics.

The big industrials employ thousands and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy each year. One of the biggest is Nyrstar,  the century old zinc smelter on the banks of Hobart's River Derwent ...which now says it will close without a government rescue package.

Business and government have good reason to have good relationships, it's a co-dependent relationship - but do we always know who is getting the most out of that relationship?

Tassie's living on the credit card and it's maxxed out,  so what are the pollies proposing to fix it at next month's state election?We've got a spending problem and a revenue problem and the debt is continuing to mount.

Champagne on ice, rings differently when you're literally talking about bubbles in Antarctica.  The number of tourists heading to the icy continent each year is expected to be about the same as Tassie's population within the decade.

Can you imagine finding out the remains of a loved one might have become part of a museum collection to be used for scientific research?That's what happened to a Tasmanian man whose two year old daughter died suddenly in the 1980's ... but he's only just made the grim discovery.

Tassie has the oldest and sickest population in Australia so it makes sense that more than half of us have private health insurance.But are you getting bang for your buck?

Ever get a sense of Deja'Vu about Tassie's economy? Tighten the belt, sell something or make more money ... they're the options on the table for Tassie's treasurer at the coming budget. 

Do the figures back up the fears when it comes to young people committing crimes in Tassie?