The Latest Breaking News from Elise Archer

There are growing calls for Tasmania's court security to be beefed up after the alleged assault of a police officer and the successful escape of a man shortly after he was sentenced to jail.

The case of the "brutal" death of a woman whose body was found in a burnt out unit has highlighted a problem in Tasmanian law, with a coroner saying she is "limited" in the findings she can make — with the government now saying it is "open" to making changes.

Tasmanian Liberal MPs were patrons or members of at least seven organisations that won taxpayer-funded grants after pre-election promises — but the government is adamant the local community does not expect organisations to be ineligible "simply because a candidate is a patron".

There are calls for Tasmania to ban so-called gay conversion therapy by the end of the year to prevent the island state from becoming a "dumping ground" for the practice — but the Catholic Archbishop has "grave concerns" about what it sees as a "threat to religious freedoms".