Mandatory Notifications Bill clears House of Assembly

The Integrity Commission Amendment (Mandatory Notifications) Bill 2025 has passed Tasmania's House of Assembly, marking a significant step in strengthening accountability across the public sector. Principal officers of public authorities will be legally required to notify the Integrity Commission of any matter they reasonably suspect involves misconduct.

New Spirit Ferries Set to Drive Major Summer Tourism Boost

A record summer season on Bass Strait has set the stage for an even bigger year ahead, with the new Spirit of Tasmania vessels expected to begin sailing later this year. More than 320,000 passengers travelled aboard Spirit of Tasmania services over summer, highlighting strong demand for travel between Tasmania and the mainland.

Why is it misogynistic to call a woman a 'witch'?

Over recent weeks, the slogan "ditch the witch" has been featured alongside AI-generated photos of Victorian premier Jacinta Allan. She's depicted in a dusty and distressed witch's hat, a fake wart on her chin, on billboards and trucks around Melbourne in the lead up to the state election this November.

 

Trump and Macron will meet over dinner at Versailles palace after G7 summit

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron will meet over dinner at the glittering Palace of Versailles near Paris after the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations next week in France, their governments announced Saturday.

Father of Denmark's Australian-born Queen Mary, dies at 84

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The father of Denmark’s Australian-born Queen Mary, John Donaldson, has died in Tasmania, the royal house in Copenhagen said Sunday. He was 84. Donaldson died in Hobart, a royal statement said, without giving further details. It said that his health had been declining over the past few years, and that the queen last visited him at the end of March.

A real possum appears among plush toy animals in Australian airport gift shop

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – On shelves crammed with cuddly toy native animals in an Australian airport gift shop, one fluffy possum stood out: Its big brown eyes were moving. A browsing passenger first spotted a living Australian brushtail possum peering out from among the kangaroos on the display shelf at the departure terminal shop at Hobart Airport.

Australia's Parliament Passes Anti-Hate Speech and Gun Laws

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Australia’s Parliament on Tuesday passed anti-hate speech and gun laws proposed after two shooters killed 15 people at a Jewish festival in Sydney last month in an attack that authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Kids on social media more than two hours a day at higher risk of mental illness

As the United Kingdom and other countries make moves to follow Australia's lead in restricting access to social media for under 16s, there is still much we don't know about how the technology impacts young people's mental health over time.

 

Ukrainian drone strike kills 1 in Russia and triggers fire at sea terminal

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured three in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local officials said Saturday, as part of Kyiv’s campaign of strikes on military and energy targets deep inside Russia.