Hunt after man allegedly escapes police custody in Launceston A man has allegedly escaped from police custody during a medical assessment at the Launceston General Hospital on Wednesday night.

Little in budget for Tas: Eslake Tuesday’s budget contained little for Tasmania, economist and commentator Saul Eslake says.

Star Wars stars visit kids in hospital A long time ago, in a hospital far, far away, some dedicated community members decided to brighten up the days of sick children.

Budget fails to impress health set Tasmanian doctors and nurses have spoken against the federal budget with a warning the state will suffer.

Marathon trek to Rio When schoolgirl Milly Clark was running early morning laps around Youngtown Oval she dreamed of it leading to an Olympic Games.

Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered. 

► WANGARATTA: The man accused of raping and murdering Zoe Buttigieg was smoking bongs with her mother in the hours before the 11-year-old girl’s death. Bowe Maddigan, 29, of Mildura, faced Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to contest charges on the first of a three-day committal hearing. More here.

► LAUNCESTON: A month-long trial of body cameras for City of Launceston parking officers is currently underway in the CBD. Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the trial is the first in Tasmania's local government sector, with two body cameras being utilised in the trial. More here.

► MANDURAH: Amid the abandoned and blackened ruins left by January’s fires, new flashes of colour have emerged. Bright crocheted mandalas and hearts can be seen along the South West highway, in the fire-affected areas of Yarloop and surrounding hills, Lake Navarino, Lake Clifton, Preston Beach Road and Nanga Road. More here.

► RURAL AUSTRALIA: Costs of up to $20 per gigabyte of data on mobile broadband and up to $70/GB on satellite broadband – these are some of the shocking statistics revealed in the Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR) Regional Internet Access Survey results released this week. More here.

► MAITLAND: The screams entered Marc Grayson’s dreams well before reality struck. The jiu jitsu specialist and soon-to-be cage fighter was asleep in his Maitland home when the harrowing noises emanated from a neighbouring carpark early on Tuesday morning. More here.

► ASHMONT: A 93-year-old grandmother has “broken down in devastation” after her late mother’s wedding ring, her hearing aide and a pendant from her deceased son were stolen by criminals on Saturday. More here.

► TOMINGLEY: A police car has been caught making what has been labelled a dangerous U-turn near Tomingley by a dash camera owner. More here.

► ILLAWARRA: Prompted by something that had occurred at school, an Illawarra mother sat her young daughter down one morning some 15 months ago and asked her whether anyone had inappropriately touched her. The answer would tear her extended family apart. More here.

► ALBURY: When did you install a smoke alarm in your home? If your answer was 2006, there’s a possibility it’s faulty. More here.

► BENDIGO: Since getting his first go-kart six weeks ago, Connor Jones has been a fixture at his local track, and dreams of one day becoming a V8 Supercar driver. But those dreams were dealt a blow on Wednesday morning, when the six-year-old woke to find his new favourite toy missing from his family’s garage in Maiden Gully. More here.

► Treasurer Scott Morrison has declared an end to class warfare in Australian politics during his post-budget sales pitch, saying voters were "over the us and them" approach to governing. More here.

► It will become easier for victims of domestic violence to seek restraining orders in a major strengthening of legal protections to be unveiled by the NSW Attorney-General on Thursday. More here.

► Malcolm Turnbull has defended his suggestion that wealthy parents should buy their children homes to help them into the expensive housing market, with Labor accusing the multi-millionaire Prime Minister of being "out of touch." More here.

► Taxi passengers could pay up to $10 extra for booking in peak hours, including Friday and Saturday nights and the eve of public holidays, if a proposal of review of taxi fares is adopted. More here.

► IRAQ: The most senior Australian fighting with Islamic State, Neil Prakash, has been killed in a US air strike in Iraq. Prakash, who was at the centre of a web of recruitment that inspired terrorism plots in Australia and drove adherents to join the group in the Middle East, was directly targeted in the strike by a US fighter plane on Friday, the Australian government has been told by US officials. More here.

► BRAZIL: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has entered unlikely political territory, calling on Brazilians to demonstrate outside Congress in the capital Brasilia on Wednesday to put pressure on the already embattled government to ensure citizens' democratic rights are upheld. More here.

► ITALY: Roman Ostriakov, 36, couldn't afford anything to eat, so he stole about $6 worth of cheese and sausage from a supermarket in Genoa, Italy, in 2011. He was caught, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to pay a fine of €100 and serve six months in prison. An appeals court upheld the decision. More here.

MIDWIFE Tess Pollard says her job is an absolute privilege. Every day she gets to be part of a special journey for so many women and families.

It reminds her how precious life can be.

“Our maternity unit as a whole works so well together as a team to work with women in a 10-month period of their lives, starting from when they are pregnant and in antenatal classes,” Ms Pollard said.

“Birth is just one day in the journey and it’s so awe-inspiring and amazing to be part of that.” Read more here.