Pulse Tasmania

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Pulse Tasmania is a digital news publisher owned by Pulse Media Group Pty Ltd based in Hobart, Australia. Pulse publishes freely accessible local Tasmanian news content on digital platforms, including its website and social media pages. Pulse's office and newsroom is located at 99 Liverpool Street, Hobart. According to Mediaweek, Pulse reaches more than 150,000 Tasmanians each week.

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Sam Clifford and Melanie Daniels have won the snow-affected Point to Pinnacle, with the 21.1km race diverted to the Longley Hotel instead of the summit of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington today. The City of Hobart closed the mountain for today’s 31st running of the event, with organisers saying snow had made conditions unsafe. Clifford won the men’s race in 1:05:16, ahead of Leo Peterson and Brad Tennick. Daniels won the women’s race in 1:19:01, ahead of Martha Mellor and Tara Guy. Organisers said charity fundraising had reached $980,020 and was “still climbing”, while thanking participants, volunteers, supporters, emergency services and operational teams.

#BREAKING: A man is in custody after a police search across Tasmania’s north-west over a series of incidents, including an alleged car theft and service station robbery. Police found the man driving a silver Alfa Romeo in the Penguin area around 4:50pm, after earlier reports of a man demanding car keys from Devonport residents and a robbery at Railton this morning. He left the car near Preservation Bay and tried to flee on foot, before surrendering to officers and being safely taken into custody. Police said no one was physically injured. A helicopter, specialist resources and the Hobart-based Special Operations Group were involved, with investigations continuing.

#BREAKING: Neil the Seal has quietly returned to south-east Tasmania for a six-week stay without public fanfare, Pulse can reveal. The viral southern elephant seal hauled out at the end of September and was “healthy and in good condition”, a Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania spokesperson told Pulse this afternoon. He has not been seen for several days and is likely back at sea foraging, after having time and space to rest. The revelation came as the government earlier today released a management plan and Interim Protection Order requiring people to stay 30m from southern elephant seals on southern Tasmania’s coast, control dogs and follow parking, boat and drone restrictions.

Former Adelaide wingman Chayce Jones is heading home to Tasmania, signing with the Devils for the 2027 VFL season after 100 AFL games with the Crows. The 26yo from Longford was taken with pick nine in the 2018 AFL Draft after playing for Launceston and captaining Tasmania to an Academy Series premiership. Jones said he was excited to play for Tasmania again and remained driven to return to AFL level, saying the move was his best chance to showcase that. Tasmania head of list management and strategy Todd Patterson said the signing was significant as the Devils prepare for their second VFL campaign. Jones joins Joel Cochran, Jack Williams, George Stevens and Xavier Walsh.

Police are searching Tasmania's north-west for a man after reports he demanded car keys from Devonport residents and a Railton service station was robbed this morning. Officers, with helicopter support, are looking for a silver Alfa Romeo, registration C86EE, police believe the man is driving. He was earlier linked to a white Toyota Fortuner, registration L29QT. Police say the man was acting erratically on Macfie Street around 9:15am, before cash was stolen from the Railton service station around 9:50am. A car was later reported stolen in Kimberley. No one was physically injured. Police say people should not approach the man and should contact police.

Labor is calling for no new data centres or agreements in Tasmania until stronger safeguards are in place, saying Tasmanians are "set to be ripped off" under the state government's new policy. The government released its final expectations for data centres and AI infrastructure on Friday, requiring facilities over 20 megawatts to pay at least $3,000 per megawatt each year into a community fund. Speaking today, Labor's Josh Willie said Premier Jeremy Rockliff had "rolled out the red carpet for data centre developers" and said developers should bring new power generation with them and not put power and water bills at risk. In response, Rockliff today said Labor have "not got a backbone when it comes to attracting investment and jobs to Tasmania" and defended his policy. The premier said developers who would not meet their new requirements should "look elsewhere" and said there would be "a transition" in energy generation as Tasmania switches on Marinus Link.

Tasmanians will soon be able to build granny flats of up to 90sqm under state government planning changes expected to come into effect by the end of the month. Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the current 60sqm cap no longer met many families’ needs, including adult children, grandparents and ageing parents. Housing minister Kerry Vincent said the change had passed through the Tasmanian Planning Commission, with “several hundred enquiries” expected early next year. Andrew Cripps (pictured), from Cripps Building and Carpentry, said the change would be "a game changer". One of his clients in Blackmans Bay wants to install a lift in her granny flat, which he said would be "very tight" under the current rules. Granny flats will still need to meet setback rules and connect to power, water and sewerage. Master Builders Tasmania welcomed the move, saying the state is around 14,000 homes short of Housing Accord targets.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s chief of staff, Ned Whitehouse, will leave the role at the end of January. Rockliff confirmed the departure in a message to colleagues, saying Whitehouse would finish “as planned” after years of service to the Tasmanian government. The premier credited Whitehouse’s work through the 2025 no-confidence motion and state election, as well as major projects including Marinus Link, Macquarie Point and the Spirit of Tasmania ships. Whitehouse was appointed chief of staff in March 2024, stepping up from principal adviser after Vanessa Field resigned from the role. Rockliff said transition planning was "already well underway to ensure a smooth handover in the months ahead".

Free sanitary products are now available at four sporting centres across Tasmania in a bid to help keep teenage girls involved in sport. St Lukes has partnered with the Tasmania Jewels and Femmé Organic to install dispensers at the JackJumpers and Jewels High Performance Training Centre in Kingston, Elphin Sports Centre in Launceston and recreation centres in Devonport and East Devonport. St Lukes head of community engagement Nikki Long said no one should feel uncomfortable or miss out on sport because they could not access the products they need. A 2025 Flinders University study found around 60% of Australian girls aged 15yo and over drop out of organised sport, compared with 42% of boys.

The Tasmanian government has released a management plan for Neil the Seal, setting out how authorities will protect the 6yo southern elephant seal and the public when he comes ashore in southern Tasmania. An Interim Protection Order now requires people to stay at least 30m from southern elephant seals along the coast. Dogs must be controlled, with rules for parking, vessels and drones. Environment minister Guy Barnett said Neil was “a much-loved Tasmanian icon” but remained a threatened wild animal. The plan prioritises leaving him undisturbed, with stronger measures only if risks increase. Options escalate to fencing, road closures and "hazing", which uses deterrents to make him move. Brand Tasmania has also applied to trademark Neil the Seal after fraudulent merchandise appeared online.