150 people have attended a Greens’ community forum in the north of the state, expressing their concerns over the unregulated construction of AI data centres in Tasmania.
Community concern and unanswered questions over the Liberals Government’s plan for AI data centres in the state have exponentially grown as hyper-scale proposals have sprung up on people’s doorsteps. This was clearly expressed at a Greens’ northern town hall event last night in Launceston.
People who attended the forum clearly expressed frustration over the serious lack of consultation with community. There’s been inadequate planning, democratic processes and oversight for the allocation of public resources, namely energy and water, to AI and data companies.
Community members are rightly outraged the Liberal Government hasn’t put guardrails in place before allowing this new industry to expand in Tasmania. The Prime Minister’s announcement outlining Federal Labor’s plan to manage AI was felt to be too little too late, when these facilities can be built and overconsume resources before any meaningful regulation is in place.
This is why the community petition calling for a moratorium has over 7000 signatures and is set to be one of the largest Tasmanian Parliamentary petitions. Given the growing concern across the state and success of the northern forum, the Greens will be hosting a Hobart Town Hall event on August 7th.
The Greens are continuing to do the necessary work to protect Tasmanian people and our precious resources from AI and data centres. We have submitted our proposal for a Parliamentary inquiry for consideration and a vote of Committee A in the coming weeks.
While the Liberal Government doesn’t seem to have the answers or interest in listening to the community’s concerns, the Greens are hearing Tasmanians loud and clear. We will continue to fight for transparency and accountability on decisions made regarding AI data centres on this precious island.
