Reuben Cunningham Advocate

10/06/2026

Parliament no longer has confidence in this minister or premier’s behaviour/conduct.”please we can only hope the censure happens next week

10/06/2026

The Deloraine situation has certainly got people talking. I understand the school may need to expand, but if there are still people buried there, this raises some important questions about history, respect and community values. What do you think — should old burial grounds ever be built on, or should they be left untouched?

The reported location is the old Catholic burial ground connected to St Patrick’s Catholic School, around the school grounds in Deloraine (the burial site dates back to the 1800s).

09/06/2026

08/06/2026

Would be good to be fly on wall

04/06/2026

After watching Estimates week in Parliament this week and seeing the way questions were responded to, I think I finally understand more clearly why I had so many difficulties trying to create change.

Between 2011 and 2018, through my charity, I repeatedly tried to engage with Tasmania’s education and political system about student safety, mental health and su***de prevention.

I approached ministers from different sides of politics because I believed this issue was bigger than party politics. Labor, Liberal, Greens — governments changed, ministers changed, but my experience remained much the same.

Over time, I felt shunned.

Not meaningfully heard. Not genuinely engaged. Not invited into real conversation about what young people were facing.

Watching Estimates this week brought a lot back for me. Seeing questions answered with process, deflection, partial answers, or bureaucracy made me reflect on my own experience trying to get through the door all those years ago.

It also made me ask a bigger question:

Are Tasmania’s systems becoming too bogged down by bureaucracy and over-governance?

A minister may come in with new ideas, but often they are only there for a few years before an election. Then another minister arrives, sometimes from a different party, with different priorities. Meanwhile, senior bureaucracies remain.

Continuity matters — systems need stability. But does it also mean important reforms move too slowly, or never gain traction at all?

How many ideas are lost because they don’t fit the system? How many people eventually stop trying because they simply cannot get through the door?

What made this especially difficult for me was knowing that while systems moved slowly, children and young people were still struggling with serious mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, bullying, trauma and disconnection.

My belief has always been simple: students need to feel safe, and teachers need to feel safe. Without safety, learning suffers.

This isn’t about attacking one minister, one party, or one public servant. I dealt with different governments over many years. It felt bigger than politics — it felt systemic.

And after watching Parliament this week, I think I finally understand why I struggled to be heard.

Has anyone else experienced this?

02/06/2026

To all trainers, owners and supporters — a little perspective

There’s no denying this uncertainty is hard. A lot of you are worried, frustrated, tired and wondering what comes next.
But in times like this, it’s important to remember
Uncertainty does not mean certainty

Right now:
✅ Racing is still operating
✅ Funding remains in place until June 2029
✅ The bill still has hurdles to clear
✅ There is still time, and politics can change

It’s easy to jump to the worst-case scenario — that’s human nature. But let’s try not to let fear write the story before the story is finished.
A reminder for all of us:
Focus on what we can control.

🐾 Caring for our dogs
🤝 Supporting one another
📣 Staying informed and involved
🧠 Looking after our mental health

No one knows exactly what 2029 looks like yet. There are still many steps, many decisions, and many voices still to be heard.
For now, keep showing up for the dogs, for each other, and for the community we’ve built.
One day at a time. One race at a time. One step at a time. 🐾

02/06/2026

What are we not being told?

Taxpayer-funded legal bills. Signed off by the Premier and Treasurer. Ministers dodging questions. Yet Tasmanians are still being left in the dark about exactly what public money paid for.

And this appears to be only part of the story. Questions remain about what else has not been properly scrutinised.

If taxpayers are footing the bill, shouldn’t taxpayers get the truth?

01/06/2026

We only can really protest every four years sadly

01/06/2026

Seriously no difference