Advertise on podcast: Poll Position with Stansfield and AJ

The Tasmania Devils have their first scandal, and Brad says they handled it badly. Stansfield and AJ dig into the club dropping captain Robbie Fox while keeping him on staff. Plus: the anti-conversion bill passes the lower house and shows where the Liberal party room splits, the Christmas row that won’t go away, and Scott Roth’s new $95,000 job as biosecurity ambassador. Poll Position is brought to you by EMRS – when accuracy matters. With thanks to our media partner Pulse Tasmania.

Campaigns matter, and this week’s council results proved it. Charles Wooley went from a late entry to Lord Mayor of Hobart. Matthew Garwood talked over the mainstream media and won Launceston in a landslide. First-time candidate Will Perry campaigned early and hard and topped the poll in Kingborough. Even old-fashioned sign waving made a difference. Stansfield and AJ go through the winners and losers across the state: Brendan Blomeley in Clarence in trouble, Sue Hickey back in Glenorchy, a blue wave on the north-west coast, and a red tinge in the south. They also check how their pre-election predictions held up. (Spoiler: pretty well.) Disclosure: Brad worked on Charles Wooley’s campaign. Poll Position is brought to you by EMRS – when accuracy matters. With thanks to our media partner Pulse Tasmania. Download the app for trusted, free Tasmanian news.

Eric Abetz: 50 years in politics, and he’s not done yet. People either love him or hate him, and his voice has been impersonated more than Elvis’s. Tasmanian Treasurer Eric Abetz joins Stansfield and AJ to talk about nearly half a century in politics: the seven Liberal leaders he served under, his 28 years in the Senate, losing his seat, and coming back in state politics. Then the hard questions: corporate welfare, the Stadium budget, One Nation, and whether he has a leadership baton in his backpack. Poll Position is brought to you by EMRS – when accuracy matters. With thanks to our media partner Pulse Tasmania. Download the app for trusted, free Tasmanian news.

A not quite emergency edition. Josh Willie tries to walk away from his 30% by Christmas pledge, the Premier rules out quitting before the end of the year, and a new tax on data centres breaks the no new taxes promise. Plus: the stadium’s preferred builder, the King Island mine shares, and the row over a school’s Christmas event. Brought to you by EMRS and Pulse Tasmania.

Voting has opened in Tasmania’s council elections, and Hobart’s campaign has already gone off the rails. AJ MC’d the debate everyone is talking about and tells the inside story. Plus: Brad takes aim at the Bell Bay bailout and the JackJumpers arena deal, Lee Hanson’s coffee shop stoush, One Nation’s “heads are going to roll” launch in Victoria, and fresh doubts over the Firmus float. Brought to you by EMRS and Pulse Tasmania.

With nominations closed and postal ballots about to land, Brad and AJ size up Tasmania's 2026 local government elections. They cover how the system works, why this is the state's first AI election, and who's in the running for mayor in Hobart, Clarence, Kingborough, Glenorchy and Launceston. Plus an EMRS exclusive. A statewide poll finds Tasmanians oppose AI data centres by more than two to one, with Liberal voters the only group in support. We also look at how Tasmanians are using AI, Firmus's sporting sponsorships, the latest Demos poll, the One Nation rally debate, and the Premier's new tattoo. Disclosure: Brad is assisting Charles Wooley's Hobart mayoral campaign. Poll Position is brought to you by EMRS, when accuracy matters, with media partners Pulse

This week Brad and AJ break down how Labor's push to cap gun ownership fell just short in the lower house. They also dig into the Legislative Council's surprise 6-6 defeat of the short stay levy, a quietly introduced Public Health Amendment Bill that could hand government sweeping new emergency powers, and a fast-moving federal picture where One Nation keeps eating into both major parties. Plus: Hobart's mayoral field just got a lot more interesting, with a high-profile new name entering the race.

Exclusive release and analysis of the latest EMRS Tasmanian State and Federal political polling.

Stansfield is back from his Senate sojourn and the filter is well and truly off. Topics covered include his Senate run wash-up, Labor and Liberal leadership, Bell Bay aluminium, and Rushy Lagoon. Brad comes off the long run over the Felix Ellis "victim-blaming" controversy, resulting in a spirited argument with AJ on the topic. Not to be missed Tasmanian political content.

Exclusive in-depth conversation with soon to be retiring Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam. Includes log cabin story, Hodgman years, reflections on PM's Turnbull, Morrison and former Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, as well as advice on how the Libs should deal with the One Nation challenge. And much more.

Is Tasmania becoming ungovernable? The boys discuss the latest happenings in Tasmanian politics, and the fragility of the State Government. Plus, Stansfield comes off the long run on the data centres debate.

Another cracking episode. Exclusive EMRS Tasmanian News Survey; plus detailed analysis of the Ogilvie Affair; plus a bombshell announcement from Stansfield.

Ruth Forrest MLC joins the pod to discuss her lift and political times. Topics covered included her pre-politics life, her assessment of the six Premiers she has served with - including a frank view of the current Premier - as well as her failed bid to be State Treasurer. Contemporary issues include a feisty exchange with Stansfield on "cologne-gate", Eric Abetz' Tasmanian budget, TT-Line and greyhounds.

Kim reflects on life prior to the ABC, including music, film, Foxtel and News, including a couple of fine stories about George Lucas, and Rupert Murdoch. On the ABC, Kim offers a stirring defence of thee organisation before revealing he learned about their decision to leave X by reading about it, and admits he would probalby not offer his views on Joe Rogan if given his time over. In discussion on the ABC's coverage of the Macquarie Point stadium, Kim reveals that he opposed Tasmanian expansion while on the AFL Commission.

Stansfield and AJ analyse the 2026/27 budget, followed by an interview with Treasurer Eric Abetz. The frank analysis and questioning you won't get anywhere else.