Isabella Podwinski
Hobart, TAS
Isabella Podwinski is the 2022 Tasmanian ABC News cadet, based in Hobart. She graduated from RMIT with a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) in 2021. Follow her on Twitter @izzypodwinski.
Latest by Isabella Podwinski
'A little different when the bathers are off': Hobart embraces record number for solstice nude swim
From nude swim loyalists to first-timers, a record 3,000 people drop their kit and take the plunge into the River Derwent in Hobart to mark the winter solstice.
Updated
Renters welcome proposed Tasmanian pet-friendly legislation, but landlord group warns it's a 'mistake'
Sarah says most tenants understand the responsibilities of keeping a pet in a rental property — but a new push to give tenants greater rights in Tasmania will meet pushback by landlords, one real estate industry insider says. Here is what is being proposed.
Updated
Court told of moment teen grabbed murder accused who 'looked me dead in the face and I saw it was my father'
A court hears from a young man who, while attempting to stop his mother being stabbed, caught sight of the alleged attacker who "looked me dead in the face … and I saw it was my father".
Updated
Racing appeals board scratches ban on Tasmania's lead harness racing trainer, Ben Yole, yet again
Tasracing fails in its bid to keep Ben Yole banned from harness racing in the state, as an appeals board overturns a ban for the second time.
Updated
'I may have washed out the back of the ute': Murder suspect made late-night admission at police officer's home
Vincent Edward Down was last seen in 1969. A coroner has now handed down findings into his death.
Updated
Cable-car debate set for reignition amid review of managment of Hobart's mountain and park
Hobart's kunanyi/Mt Wellington attracts more than 400,000 visitors per year, most who drive up a winding road to reach its summit. A review of transport options and the park's management will soon kick off — and will likely include talk of a cable-car.
Updated
Other birds would scatter when salmon farm workers shot at them — but not this bird species
Fish farm employees shot dozens of native seabirds which were taking salmon from Tasmanian pens in an effort to deter them, documents reveal — with the scare tactic failing in part because the cormorants were unfazed, even if the bird next to them was shot.
Updated
'What goes around': Former premier's statue chopped down in the night, a day after vandals' first attempt
A colonial-era statue honouring a former premier who mutilated the body of an Aboriginal man is vandalised on the eve of a tribunal decision on its planned removal.
Updated
Alleged victim fought off chainsaw-wielding neighbour with croquet mallet after dog dispute, court hears
Horace Monshing was getting ready for bed when he heard a noise outside. It was his neighbour, allegedly wielding a chainsaw, a court has heard. A tussle ensued, resulting in traumatic injuries.
Updated
Tasmanian Liberals' plan to 'ban' ambulance ramping scrapped by Health Department
A proposal to ban ambulance ramping at Tasmanian hospitals, put forward by the Tasmanian Liberals, is effectively scrapped by the Department of Health after the nursing and midwifery union raised concerns about safety and staffing.
Updated
MONA FOMA calls it quits, with founder admitting 'spell has worn off'
Tasmania's MONA FOMA event has been "killed" by its founder after 16 years, with the much-loved music and arts event joining the list of canned festivals.
Updated
Experts voice concerns over Liberals' plan to oust defectors from Tasmanian parliament
Political experts have taken a look at the Tasmanian Liberals' proposal that would force MPs to resign from parliament if they quit their party — and they have some concerns.
Updated
Victoria, Tasmania and parts of SA swelter through heatwave
By Tim Callanan, Isabella Podwinski, and Josephine Lim
Temperatures across Victoria reach the high 30s for the third straight day in a run of March heat not experienced since the 1940s.
Updated
Truck narrowly avoids crash with oncoming train in Tasmania
By Isabella Podwinski and Sophie Jaggers
Tasmania's rail operator, TasRail, has called for increased action on level crossing safety after a truck narrowly avoided a serious crash with a train.
Updated
'I will never be whole again': Family of murdered Tasmanian woman share their grief
Rachel Wake was murdered on Christmas Day 2021, with her former husband, Darren Mark Wake pleading guilty to the crime. Family members have told the Supreme Court in Hobart about the devastating impact the crime has had on them.
Updated
'Slap in the face': Hundreds rally to save local GP clinic after success of southern campaign
By Bec Pridham and Isabella Podwinski
A small community in north-west Tasmania hopes it can replicate a successful grassroots campaign in the state's south and keep its local GP clinic from closing its doors after 45 years of service.
Updated
The Rajah Quilt was sewn in 1841 on a convict ship. A playwright wants it returned home
By Selina Ross and Isabella Podwinski
It's a piece of Australia's colonial-era history, a quilt sewn by convict women on a ship and presented on arrival in Van Diemen's Land, 182 years ago. It is hidden away in a store room in Canberra — but now, the push is on for the Rajah Quilt to come back to Tasmania.
Updated
As funding gaps widen between public and private education, advocates fear kids are 'falling through the cracks'
A new report reveals the extent of the funding gap between public and private schools over the next five years, with Tasmanian public schools underfunded by $118 million this year alone.
CPR not given to an aged care resident because of a misunderstanding, coroner finds
Wayne Rouse collapsed in his aged care facility after trying to call for assistance. When staff did reach him, they did not help as it was thought he had a "do not resuscitate" order in place — but that was wrong, a coroner finds.
Updated
Police comb Duckhole Lake area for clues in Tasmanian hiker's 2017 disappearance
Police are searching a Tasmanian hiking track and bushland for a missing man, a week after opening a criminal investigation and six years since he went missing.
Updated
Coroner terminates witness' videolink after hand gesture during inquest into deaths of elderly couple
An Tasmanian inquest hearing into the deaths of an elderly Hobart couple in 2016 comes to an abrupt end when a hand gesture from a witness towards the coroner sees the plug pulled on the video link from Queensland.
Updated
Why is Tasmania the only state leaning towards a Yes vote in the referendum?
Tasmania's Liberal premier is urging a Yes vote in Saturday's referendum but the dominant Indigenous group says No. What is happening on the island state and why do polls say it is the only state tracking in favour?
Updated
Housing affordability at lowest level in 30 years, data shows
Skyrocketing house prices and mortgage rate increases have dragged housing affordability to its lowest level in three decades, according to new data from real estate analysts PropTrack.
Updated
'You see EVs everywhere': Electric car sales almost double in Tasmania
By Meg Whitfield and Isabella Podwinski
New electric cars registrations have almost doubled in Tasmania in the past 12 months — with one in 10 cars sold being electric.
Updated
Caitlin is a convert — and the plan is to win more over to Hobart's ferry service
Caitlin's a convert and so are many others it seems — the experiment of running a ferry service on Hobart's River Derwent has spared hundreds of people a day the gridlock gamble of the problem-prone Tasman Bridge. So, will the service be given a chance to expand?
Updated