ABC TassieCast

After more than four years in the top job and more than 20 in state parliament is Jeremy Rockliff ready to pull the pin?

Yet another increase in interest rates ... how did you feel when that filtered through?

As politicians report increasing amounts of abuse online a new piece of Tasmanian tech is being used to try to combat it.

Most of us have turned to Doctor Google to self diagnose.

For decades it's been called a national crisis and by any measure the numbers are alarming. 

What do footy and local indigenous culture have in common? For Heywire Takeover Tamar Valley winner Mason, both have shaped who he is. From learning on country to stepping onto the field, he's discovered where strength comes from and what's truly worth fighting for.

Would you put your hand up for local government?

30 years ago in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre ...  Tasmania's leaders across the political divide stood united to toughen gun laws.  Three decades on, following calls to again tighten laws post the Bondi shootings, our parliament is divided. There are more privately owned firearms in Australia now than there were before Port Arthur. In Tasmania dozens of stolen firearms are yet to be recove...

More than nine thousand Tasmanians are waiting for elective surgery ... the state government has just set a target of getting 70 per cent of them done in the time doctors' recommend. Do you have private health insurance? Around half the population do, while the other half rely on the public system.

Local filmmakers are sounding the alarm over job cuts at Screen Tasmania following a recent government restructure that placed the agency under a new administrative umbrella. Despite an allocation of additional funding for the sector, staffing levels have been reduced by around half, prompting concerns about the agency's ability to support and develop future projects. Can Tasmania's screen industr...

It's highly contagious and devastating ... Tasmanians have been warned to prepare for more birds to succumb to the deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu. The virus has devastated wildlife populations globally in recent years ... we're the last state on the last continent to get it.  So what can we do to prevent the spread of bird flu?, and how will some of our iconic species cope?

Tasmania's had the largest increase in the country for the number of applications and deaths using our Voluntary Assisted Dying laws. In a recent report by Go Gentle Australia, a charity that advocates for Voluntary Assisted Dying, the authors believe that’s likely because of greater public awareness and a growing acceptance by health professionals.  An independent review of how well the laws have...

A few years ago Tasmania was the hot ticket destination with population growth outpacing the rest of the nation. Yet, in just a few years the state is forecast to be the first in Australia to enter natural decline, meaning more deaths than births. And you might have to take a pay cut to move to the island state ... so is it worth it?

As the use of AI continues to surge across the world, AI companies are eyeing off key locations in Australia for data centres ... including here in Tasmania.

To celebrate NAIDOC week's 50th year, we're taking you to a wool growing property on Tasmania's Bruny Island, which is now owned and operated by an Aboriginal corporation. It's the home of Truganinni who we were once incorrectly taught was the last Tasmanian Aboriginal.

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...

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 invest...