Richard Baines is a television, radio and online reporter in the Hobart newsroom and has also worked on the New South Wales Central Coast. In 2016 Richard was named best new journalist in Tasmania. It followed his 2012 win in ABC's Heywire competition. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichardMBaines
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| UpdatedThe Tasmanian Opposition says the Human Services Minister "lied to the public" after she was forced to correct the record about her knowledge of a Right to Information request.
Topics: state-parliament, welfare, government-and-politics, hobart-7000, launceston-7250
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| UpdatedThe minister responsible for Tasmania's child services is forced to correct the record after being caught out over an email conversation discussing the ABC's request for information about protection provider Safe Pathways.
Topics: government-and-politics, child-abuse, tas
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| UpdatedTasmania's Premier issues a please explain to the head of the Education Department after parenting author and educator Steve Biddulph is gagged from speaking out against the State Government's education changes.
Topics: state-parliament, education, community-and-society, hobart-7000, devonport-7310, launceston-7250
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The Tasmanian health system is getting more beds after a report into hospital operations, commissioned in the wake of a scandal involving a 95yo woman's waiting room ordeal, is released.
Topics: health-administration, doctors-and-medical-professionals, health, tas
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| UpdatedThe plan to reopen logging to stimulate the Tasmanian timber products industry could backfire and cost jobs, an independent politician says.
Topics: forestry, forests, environment, tas
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| UpdatedHobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey backs the State Government's decision to forcibly acquire council land to help the Mount Wellington cable car project.
Topics: government-and-politics, urban-development-and-planning, community-and-society, hobart-7000, tas
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Hobart's Lord Mayor supports the Tasmanian Government's plan to take control of water and sewerage infrastructure, despite concerns about the loss of dividends to councils.
Topics: water-management, water-supply, water-pollution, state-parliament, local-government, hobart-7000, launceston-7250, burnie-7320, st-helens-7216
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Two decades after a dramatic rescue on the high seas, veteran British sailor Tony Bullimore, 78, is keen to keep racing.
Topics: sailing, united-kingdom, australia
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| UpdatedMore than 80 per cent of emergency beacon activations last year were deemed unwarranted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, data obtained by the ABC shows.
Topics: maritime, emergency-planning, australia
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Tasmanian survivors of sexual abuse linked to the Anglican Church plan to launch legal action after damming findings by the royal commission.
Topics: child-abuse, anglicans, sexual-offences, royal-commissions, tas
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| UpdatedA Facebook post that targets the sexuality of the former Australian Greens leader demonstrates the need for tough anti-discrimination laws, a prominent gay rights activist says.
Topics: government-and-politics, gays-and-lesbians, community-and-society, discrimination, tas
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| UpdatedA Facebook post implying former Greens leader Bob Brown enjoyed being manhandled by forestry workers during a protest will be the subject of an official complaint.
Topics: social-media, internet-culture, gays-and-lesbians, tas
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| Updated"Juvenile and puerile" Labor and Liberal senators draw fire after trading barbs via Facebook, including a video from Helen Polley where she addresses a sombrero she named Sonny.
Topics: government-and-politics, tas
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Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz wants the Federal Government to cut 4,000 federal public service jobs to cut expenditure.
Topics: unemployment, community-and-society, public-sector, government-and-politics, tas
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Tasmania's Premier gives no guarantees that a suite of recommendations from the state's children's commissioner will be funded in this year's state budget.
Topics: welfare, child-care, child-abuse, tas
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| UpdatedTasmania's Children's Commissioner wants young people who have "first-hand experience" of the state's out of home care system to help reform the sector, which he says is failing some children.
Topics: child-abuse, family-and-children, state-parliament, launceston-7250, tas, hobart-7000
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Low job numbers and slow population growth remain key economic issues for Tasmania but there are also some promising economic signs, a Deloitte report says.
Topics: unemployment, economic-trends, states-and-territories, tas
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| UpdatedA day after threatening to suspend the Glenorchy City Council, the Minister for Local Government Peter Gutwein details his reasoning behind the suspension, in a confidential letter obtained by the ABC.
Topics: local-government, glenorchy-7010, tas
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| UpdatedIraqi-born refugee Heetham Hekmat reflects on the worst night of his life — when he and his family were herded into their house before it was set alight — as he prepares to become an Australian citizen in Hobart today.
Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, australia-day, tas
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The Labor Party in Tasmania is still considering its position on the Government's plan to open up more areas to logging, Upper House MP Craig Farrell says.
Topics: forestry, forests, states-and-territories, environmental-impact, environmental-policy, port-arthur-7182
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| UpdatedTasmania's business lobby wants Liberal powerbroker Eric Abetz back in federal Cabinet saying he has "served his time" on the sidelines.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal---state-issues, federal-government, tas
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| UpdatedThe Health and Community Services Union blames a lack of hospital beds as a photo emerges of what it says are three ambulances unable to drop off their patients at the emergency department.
Topics: health-administration, healthcare-facilities, hobart-7000
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| UpdatedWill Hodgman's government had to deal with natural disasters and an energy crisis, and 2017 looks to set to have its own challenges.
Topics: states-and-territories, liberals, tas
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Tasmanian Labor Party leader Bryan Green is confident he will lead the party to the next election and sees 2016 as a year of making up lost ground.
Topics: state-parliament, alp, hobart-7000, launceston-7250, burnie-7320, tas
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Most people vow to lose weight or do more exercise when making New Year's resolutions, but Cassy O'Connor is aiming to be better behaved in Parliament.
Topics: greens, state-parliament, hobart-7000, launceston-7250, tas