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'The funniest bloke I've ever met': How paedophile police officer Paul Reynolds groomed an entire community

A former Tasmanian cop repeatedly groomed boys over his decades-long career. A report into Paul Reynolds has outlined how he used his standing in the community to do it.
Updated
Two text bubbles with messages like "You played really well today mate!"

Closure is promised, so why is there a record-high number of children in Tasmanian youth detention?

The number of children currently in youth detention in Tasmania is the highest it's been in a decade, and low staffing levels means those at the centre are increasingly being left in isolation. 
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Hands clasping at a fence.

Tough on crime or a therapeutic model to stop youth offending? How the major Tasmanian parties diverge on policies

Stories of abuse and neglect from the notorious Ashley Youth Detention Centre in Tasmania were heard throughout a commission of inquiry. Labor says it needs to be shut sooner than the Liberals' mid-2026 timeline but won't set a date.
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Handcuffed prisoner being led in corridor by warden.

Meet the 'motley crew' who come from all walks of life to lend an oar

Different age groups, different genders, different nationalities; but once everyone is in the boat, they become "part of the team" — and that aspect is a big part of this club's ongoing success.
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Eight people of different ages and walks of life sit in a dragon boat on a river, all smiling.

Tasmanian public school kids banned from horse handling, caving and other activities amid safety review

Jo Pickett's horses have a special job: helping young people with disabilities learn communication and social skills. But due to a wideranging review of safety procedures by Tasmania's education department her small business, and other activity providers, are in limbo due to an indefinite ban.
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Kids write on a horse in crayon.

The job of fixing WA's troubled youth detention system is in new hands

The public servant replacing Tim Marney, who was tasked with implementing a new model of care at WA's problem-plagued Banksia Hill facility, held a role overseeing children's wellbeing at Tasmania's Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
A concrete wall topped with barbed wire at the Banksia Hill Detention Centre.

When this lawyer sifted though abuse complaints kept by a Tasmanian department, he made an 'alarming' discovery

The claims of abuse made by former youth detention detainees were not acted on and crosschecked with a list of current staff, meaning children kept making complaints about the "same" people, a lawyer says.
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Sebastian Buscemi looks at the camera.

The key takeaways from Tasmania's landmark child sexual abuse report

It was described as a landmark report into how Tasmanian authorities handled allegations of child sexual abuse in hospitals, schools, detention and out-of-home care. So what did it say?
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Unidentified female with hair covering face.

Sexual abuse of children in a notorious youth prison a 'current risk', damning report finds

Child sexual abuse at Tasmania's only youth detention facility "remains a live and current risk" and not a historical problem, a two-year inquiry finds. The state premier says he would close it now if he could but there are no other options for housing child inmates. 
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Handcuffed prisoner being led in corridor by warden.

It took a call between two old housemates to expose a paedophile and change a state forever

That a paedophile had worked on a children's hospital ward for almost two decades was Launceston's worst-kept secret. Then one phone call changed everything, setting in motion a series of events that would alter Tasmania forever.   
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Camille Bianchi sits listening to someone speaking off camera.

Former youth detainee says staff turned off fire sprinklers

A former detainee at Ashley Youth Detention Centre claims staff turned off fire sprinklers, leading him to suffer burns and smoke inhalation.  
An aerial view of Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Prisoners released into homelessness, ending up back in jail  

More than half the people released from Risdon Prison this year will be exiting into some form of homelessness — with more than half of those ending up back behind bars.
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Hands clasping at a fence.

Fire at Ashley Youth Detention Centre in Tasmania deliberately lit

The Tasmania Fire Service says a fire at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre, which led to the hospitalisation of a staff member, was deliberately lit and caused $20,000 damage. 
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Two ambulances travel on a road past a sign saying: Ashley Youth Detention Centre

Farmer unearths black delicacy for Dark Mofo winter feast

Anna Terry is ready to bring Tasmanian culinary delights to a decadent food display.
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woman holding truffles with three dogs sitting in front of her

Finding out his diabetes drug was coming off the PBS was 'gut-wrenching' for Daniel. But relief is in sight — for now

Fast-acting insulin Fiasp has been a "game changer" for Daniel Webb in managing his type 1 diabetes. The drug was about to be removed from the PBS, but a temporary solution has been found.
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DANIEL WEBB

Million-dollar windfall for club connected to senior Tasmanian Liberal

A senior Tasmanian government MP is at the centre of fresh questions about a perceived conflict of interest, after a community project he and his family are involved with won $1 million in taxpayer funding following recent state and federal elections.
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A man in parliament holds his hand to his forehead.

Deloraine flood victim's house vandalised

One of the worst-affected families from last year's flood disaster in northern Tasmania has been dealt another blow after their home was vandalised.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 35 seconds

First came the floods, then came the vandals. Clinton says he doesn't know how much more he can take

One of the worst-affected families from last year's flood disaster in northern Tasmania has been dealt another blow after vandals broke into their waterlogged home and spray-painted walls, smashed glass and bashed holes in plaster.
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A man looks seriously at the camera.

'Risdon Prison has failed Aboriginal people since time began': Incarceration rate continues to climb

A support worker who helps Aboriginal prisoners when they are released in Tasmania is not surprised the rates of incarceration have doubled in a decade, saying the system is failing her community.
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A woman with long dark hair speaks at a lectern

Deloraine residents still struggling four months after damaging floods

Four months on from one of Tasmania's most devastating floods, Clinton Hobby and his family still cannot move back into their Deloraine home.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 54 seconds

'You can't play with people's lives': Four months after the Deloraine floods, Clinton is still waiting on his insurance

Months on from the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in Tasmania's north, residents in Deloraine are still struggling to rebuild their lives.
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A man wades through floodwater looking down.

Former youth detainee 'traumatised' by alleged strip searches but the government denies they even took place

More than 100 ex-detainees who say they were physically and sexually abused at Tasmania's Ashley Youth Detention Centre will have to prove their claims in court, as the government announces it is denying most of the claims.
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Unidentified youth hunched over in detention cell.

Inside Tasmania's troubled Ashley Youth Detention Centre

A "gladiator pit", a "war zone", a "kindergarten for the adult prison" — these are just some of the ways Tasmania's only youth detention centre has been described.
ABC News Current
Duration: 7 minutes 32 seconds

Inmate playing Nintendo Switch game in Ashley cell

Side view of unidentified youth playing a Nintendo Switch
Duration: 11 seconds

Time lapse inmate pacing Ashley cell

Time lapse inmate pacing Ashley cell
Overhead view of youth in prison cell.
Duration: 10 seconds