Tegan Prichard

Queensland Journalism Writer

Brisbane, Queensland
Member since 2026

About Tegan

I grew up on a cane farm outside Ayr — about an hour south of Townsville, if you know where that is. Most people from Sydney or Melbourne don’t. I was the first in my family to go to uni. Studied journalism at JCU because it was the closest option and because I’d been reading the Townsville Bulletin since I was old enough to care about what was happening in my town. Seven years later, I was the one writing for it — courts, local government, the stories that don’t make the national news but affect real people.

I went freelance in 2022 because I wanted to cover Queensland on my own terms. Not just the stories that fit a Sydney news desk’s idea of what matters up here, but the actual policy decisions, regulatory changes, and cost-of-living pressures that people deal with every day. I cover gambling regulation as a policy beat — licensing, harm minimisation, the stuff that ends up in legislation. It matters because it affects communities, and most of the reporting on it is either industry PR or moralising from people who’ve never set foot in a regional RSL.

I run 5km along the Brisbane River most mornings, I have a kelpie called Banjo who thinks he’s a cattle dog, and State of Origin is the closest thing I have to a religion. I file clean copy, I meet deadlines, and I don’t write anything I can’t back up.

Areas of Expertise

Queensland Politics
Gambling Regulation
Cost of Living
Investigative Features
Regional Queensland
North Queensland
State Policy
Media Analysis

What I Don’t Cover

Casino reviews, betting tips, or anything that reads like an ad. I’m not a gambler — I cover the regulation and industry side because it’s a policy beat, not a lifestyle choice. I won’t write opinion dressed up as news. I also don’t cover cricket or AFL — union or league, pick a code, but don’t ask me about the Ashes.

The Personal Stuff

When I’m Not Writing

5km river runs before the humidity kicks in
Banjo the kelpie (who needs a longer walk than I do)
State of Origin — don’t talk to me during the series
Driving up to Townsville to visit family when I can

Industry Pet Peeves

Press releases pretending to be news
Mainland media ignoring Queensland until there’s a cyclone
Politicians who’ve never been north of Noosa making policy for North Queensland
The phrase “the Sunshine State” in a headline about budget cuts

“I spent seven years in Townsville courtrooms. If you can make a magistrate’s ruling interesting to a cane farmer reading the paper over smoko, you can write about anything.”