Tasmania Police joined law enforcement agencies across Australia and New Zealand in a week of coordinated action that seized hundreds of illegal firearms. Nationally, 603 whole firearms were seized, along with 61 privately manufactured or 3D printed firearms and 808 gel blasters or imitation firearms. In West Launceston, Taskforce Raven seized a sawn-off .22 calibre rifle and a privately manufactured firearm. A 31-year-old man was charged with firearms and minor drugs offences and is due to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on 23 December 2026.
A 37-year-old man from Ravenswood has been charged over the alleged theft of fuel worth more than $74,000 in the state's north. Police allege the fuel was bought using a stolen fuel card. They arrested the man on Friday evening and recovered 4600 litres of stolen fuel. He faces multiple charges, including 60 counts of using a computer with intent to defraud, breach of bail, driving offences, possession of stolen property and minor drug offences. He was detained and is expected to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Saturday.
Police have charged a 44-year-old man from northern Tasmania with three counts of rape, allegedly committed in April last year. The man is believed to be former Bracknell football coach Josh Adams. He is due to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court early next year. The Northern Tasmanian Football Association said it would not comment further while the matter is before the courts. Bracknell Football Club president Nicole Jones has stood down after private messages she sent to the mother of the alleged victim were published. She has apologised for the comments.
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Geelong athlete Jonathan Walker has returned from the 2026 Australian Transplant Games in Launceston with two gold medals and a bronze. He says the camaraderie and inspiring community will stay with him more than the results. Walker, attending his seventh Games, also competed with the fourth-placed Victorian basketball team. More than 600 athletes, including transplant recipients, donors and donor family members, took part in the 18th edition. Walker said the event focuses on inclusivity, care and having a go, regardless of ability.
Families, carers and supporters will gather in Launceston this weekend for Walk 4 Hope. The event aims to raise awareness of Huntington's disease and support people whose lives have been affected by the condition.
An AI tool that helps write police reports on family violence incidents cut officers' workloads but introduced errors during a Tasmanian trial. The tool, Draft One, made by US firm Axon, analyses body-worn camera audio and generates narratives for officers to review and approve. An evaluation found reports took 42 minutes, almost twice as fast as the traditional method. However, the tool sometimes confused names and roles and missed threats or risk factors, particularly in complex scenarios. Tasmania Police says future use is still under review, with further consultation and trials required before any rollout.
Tasmania's council elections are entering their final week, with a significant overhaul of local government on the cards. The number of councillors statewide is being cut from 263 to 213, and several high-profile mayors are not seeking re-election. Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds is among those leaving the role. Around 55 per cent of ballots had been returned as of Wednesday, according to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Voting is mandatory, and penalties of up to $42.60 may apply to those who fail to return their ballots by the deadline of 2pm on Tuesday, October 27.
The last Tasmanian-brewed Boag's beers were bottled in Launceston, ending 145 years of local production. The brewery will close its doors for the final time on November 6, taking 42 local jobs with it. Lion, which owns the brand, announced the end of local brewing in June, citing inflation and falling beer sales. Boag's will continue to be brewed on the mainland, and Tasmania will become an importer of the beer. The Tasmanian government is interested in buying the historic site, and the Boag's Brewhouse will keep operating beyond November.
A SkyBus service linking Launceston Airport with the city centre will launch on 2 November as a 12-month trial. It will run hourly, seven days a week, between 4.30am and 11.15pm, with adult fares set at $16. The Tasmanian Government has committed $1 million to the trial, which will be monitored for passenger demand and feedback. The route includes six stops, among them hotels and the Transit Centre. Kinetic, which owns and operates SkyBus, worked with the government and the airport to establish the service. Introductory fares are available until 30 November.
Firmus Technologies says one of its three planned AI data centres in Tasmania's north is not yet funded. The company abandoned its plan to list on the Australian stock exchange earlier this month but is continuing with its Tasmanian projects. Firmus general energy manager Paul Grzinic told a parliamentary committee that the Launceston and Wesley Vale stage one sites are fully funded. He said the other sites still need development approval, which he described as a key step towards securing funding.
Australia's corporate regulator is making routine inquiries into AI developer Firmus after it abandoned a planned $44 billion stock market listing in October. The regulator's enforcement director said no formal investigation is under way. Firmus plans data centres across Australia, including three in Tasmania. A Launceston centre is under construction and a George Town centre has been approved, with a Wesley Vale application still in progress. The company is appealing conditions limiting diesel generators at George Town. Hydro Tasmania is expected to decide on a 450MW power request by the end of the year.
A 42-year-old man from Campbell Town has been charged with more than 32 offences following an investigation into a large number of burglaries across Launceston. Police say the thefts targeted at least 13 businesses, most of them in the city centre. Three searches at a private home in Newnham located and seized stolen property. The man faces 11 counts of burglary, four of attempted burglary, three of trespass, 12 of stealing, motor vehicle stealing, unlawful possession of property and minor drug offences. He was to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on 20 October.
A bushfire is threatening properties at Nunamara, about 30 kilometres east of Launceston, and is proving difficult to control. The Tasmania Fire Service issued a Watch and Act for Patersonia Road on Monday afternoon and urged residents to check their bushfire plans. Three aircraft, 10 ground crews and a dozer are working on the blaze, which had burned across 35 hectares by Monday evening. Changing winds and poor access are making the work harder. Tim Lockrey, from the Nunamara Hub, said residents were on high alert and that he had sheltered a man who had left his home.
A 54-year-old man from Ravenswood, near Launceston, has been charged after police allege an email threatening serious violence was sent to a federal politician's office. The Australian Federal Police charged him on Thursday. Police allege the email was sent on September 14. Officers searched his home with help from Tasmania Police and seized several electronic devices, which will undergo forensic examination. He faces one charge of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and was granted police bail. He is due to appear in Launceston Magistrates Court on December 16.
At Windsor Park in Riverside, near Launceston, a masked lapwing has built a nest in the middle of a community cricket ground. Ground staff mow around the site because the species is protected under state law, and players have adjusted their positions. One player said the bird became less bothersome as the season went on. Experts say open ovals suit lapwings because they can spot threats early. A local council says its staff take extra care around the birds and their nests.
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Police have charged a 29-year-old man from Rocherlea over a deliberately lit fire that damaged a unit at Rocherlea. Emergency services responded to reports of a structure fire on Grevillea Court at about 7.55am on Friday 16 October. Tasmania Fire Service crews put out the fire, and fire investigators found it had been deliberately lit. The man faces charges including arson, aggravated burglary, stealing, trespass and unlawful possession of property. He was detained to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Saturday 17 October.
Regional Australians are losing flights as jet fuel prices soar. Virgin Australia chief customer officer Andrew Cleary told a Senate inquiry that rising fuel costs have made some regional routes unprofitable. The airline has cancelled routes including Uluru to Brisbane and Uluru to Melbourne, along with several routes from Adelaide. Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive Stephen Beckett said thin routes to regional centres are hit first. He also said major airports act like a monopoly, which raises costs for airlines and passengers.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is being urged to apologise after a Facebook post about a Launceston school's end-of-year event drew wide attention. Rockliff wrote that schoolchildren should be encouraged to sing Christmas carols, and asked the education department to step in. The school, Trevallyn Primary School, had planned to rename its Christmas on the Hill event as the End of Year Extravaganza. Rockliff said he would not apologise, and the education department said no decision had been made on changes to school celebrations.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff says he sees an opportunity in AI data company Firmus, despite its failed attempt to go public. Firmus co-founder Oliver Curtis reportedly blamed Australians' dim views on risk-taking. Rockliff said Firmus remains committed to Tasmania and announced a community benefit fund for areas hosting data centres, though details of how companies would pay into it remain unclear. Opposition and Greens figures questioned the scheme, while a university professor called it an important step.
Properties in the Tasmanian town of Poatina are being offered for sale as the charity Fusion exits the town. A former school, the town's swimming pool, a golf course and an artists studio are among the listings through expressions of interest. The golf course has a $500,000 price guide and the former school has a $300,000 price guide. Sam Woolcock of Elders Launceston said there has been strong interest from buyers across the state.
