Richard Baines

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

• Tasmanian Minister accused of lying over ABC's Right to Information request

  By Richard Baines

  Posted March 03, 2017 14:08:55 | Updated March 03, 2017 14:15:54

  The 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

• Child protection minister issues mea culpa over Safe Pathways request

  By Richard Baines and James Dunlevie

  Posted March 02, 2017 20:15:19 | Updated March 02, 2017 20:25:44

  The 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

• Move to gag expert from criticism of school-age changes 'unacceptable', Hodgman says

  By Richard Baines

  Posted March 02, 2017 14:46:54 | Updated March 02, 2017 15:14:36

  Tasmania'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

• Hospital wait outrage leads to more beds, questions over 'culture of secrecy'

  By Richard Baines and James Dunlevie

  Posted February 28, 2017 19:09:49

  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

• Jobs warning over Tasmanian Government logging plan, as Labor flags no vote

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 28, 2017 06:34:01 | Updated February 28, 2017 10:12:17

  The 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

• Lord Mayor supports council being sidelined on key cable car decision

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 27, 2017 07:30:00 | Updated February 27, 2017 10:33:17

  Hobart 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

• Hobart Lord Mayor backs State Government TasWater takeover

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 26, 2017 09:57:03

  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

• British sailing veteran Tony Bullimore reflects on a life on the ocean

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 25, 2017 11:37:59

  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

• Majority of emergency beacon activations 'inadvertent': AMSA

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 19, 2017 09:30:37 | Updated February 19, 2017 10:34:29

  More 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

• Abuse survivors push for legal action against former Anglican Bishop

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 14, 2017 20:09:03

  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

• Bob Brown case shows why law changes 'could foster hate speech'

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 10, 2017 07:46:45 | Updated February 10, 2017 08:09:56

  A 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

• Bob Brown lodges complaint over 'homophobic' Facebook slur (photos)

  Exclusive by Richard Baines

  Posted February 09, 2017 14:43:55 | Updated February 09, 2017 15:07:33

  A 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

• Tasmanian senators scolded for 'childish' Facebook videos

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 08, 2017 06:31:57 | Updated February 08, 2017 11:17:23

  "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

• Abetz urges Government to 'show leadership' and cut 4,000 jobs

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 02, 2017 06:37:28

  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

• Uncertainty over funding for Tasmanian child care system changes

  By Richard Baines

  Posted February 01, 2017 18:11:53

  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

• Tasmania's out of home care 'less than ideal parent' for some children: Commissioner

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 31, 2017 08:59:01 | Updated January 31, 2017 13:32:51

  Tasmania'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

• Tasmania has fewer full-time jobs than six years ago: report

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 30, 2017 08:18:22

  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

• Why Gutwein threatened to suspend the Glenorchy council

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 28, 2017 16:12:27 | Updated January 28, 2017 19:20:48

  A 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

• After fleeing as refugee new citizen overjoyed to 'belong to somewhere'

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 26, 2017 08:50:51 | Updated January 26, 2017 18:13:27

  Iraqi-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

• Labor undecided on Tasmanian Government's plan for more logging

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 19, 2017 06:25:06

  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

• Business lobby wants Abetz back in Cabinet

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 17, 2017 06:13:43 | Updated January 17, 2017 09:08:46

  Tasmania'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

• 'Unprecedented' ambulance ramping spike at Royal Hobart Hospital

  By Richard Baines

  Posted January 16, 2017 18:47:16 | Updated January 16, 2017 22:21:53

  The 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

• Fires and floods: Tasmanian Premier dubs 2016 his toughest year yet

  By Richard Baines

  Posted December 21, 2016 10:05:33 | Updated December 21, 2016 10:19:21

  Will 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

• Tasmanian Labor Party winning back voters: Green

  By Richard Baines

  Posted December 20, 2016 08:11:35

  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

• Cassy O'Connor's New Year's vow not to be 'turfed from chamber'

  By Richard Baines

  Posted December 19, 2016 13:04:50

  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

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