MPI - AI Data Centres

[11.36 a.m.]

Ms BURNET (Clark) - Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker ,and I thank the Greens for bringing this really important matter to the Chamber today. I want to read from the Latrobe Council website:

Call for stronger framework for AI data centres. Latrobe Council has unanimously resolved to advocate for a more appropriate planning and assessment framework for artificial intelligence (AI) data centres and emerging technologies in Tasmania.

I want to congratulate the Latrobe Council for having the courage to make a referral of the Wesley Vale AI data centre - the $2.1 billion project, 52 megawatt data centre - to send that to a major projects pathway. It was a pathway put in place in 2020 by this government, precisely for these sorts of large, complex projects that will have significant impacts on the state, but I think the government has a completely tin ear, not only to local government but to their local communities.

The major projects planning pathway was a planning process the government set up to enable local governments to refer these sorts of applications for assessment, but what we hear is government minister after minister demean and denigrate local communities and councils for using that pathway at every turn. We know the impacts on local communities, we're seeing it here in Tasmania, we've seen it in George Town, and we're seeing it at Latrobe now. Communities are concerned, but we're seeing this right around the world.

Across the globe these AI data centre developments drain states of their power, drive power prices up and cause blackouts. They drain communities around the world due to their voracious water appetite, draining them of their water supply, families of their drinking water, as well as farmers, and we know that Tasmanian farmers are concerned about George Town - they compromise irrigation water for farmers.

And now we have this greenwashing of Firmus - an AI infrastructure company - using their huge capital in our state, attaching their brand to our Tasmania Devils football team. It's such appalling greenwashing. They certainly have a hide to think that they can get this social capital.

People are outraged, people are speaking up. I was at Pathways to Politics the other day and met Hayley Perkins who is taking this to the Windermere election. She will be standing against minister Duigan in relation to this in the seat of Windermere. There are major concerns about this, and good on the community for speaking up. I urge all community members to raise their concerns. The Greens implemented an inquiry into AI data centres to get those guardrails in place. The public have until Monday 21 September 2026 to put in their submissions. This is important  we need to hear those community voices, and the government needs to put in the guardrails.