Dr WOODRUFF question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
Last week George Town Council claimed they had no choice but to approve a new AI data centre at Bell Bay, against overwhelming community objections. In effect, councils are seemingly being forced to rubberstamp your data centre agenda. All of this because you made a secret deal with a convicted fraudster during the election campaign who now runs a company with no track record in data centre construction. Understandably, the Tamar Valley community is now in shock and feeling betrayed. When it comes to the Wesley Vale data centre, are you going to stand alongside your own community or with Firmus?
ANSWER
I thank the honourable member for your question. I reject the accusations in your question outright. What we’re about is ensuring that we bring investment and opportunity to Tasmania. That’s why, for example, we had $25 million on the table to support the reopening of the Mount Lyell Mine, and what a fantastic day for Queenstown ‑ 300 jobs, $490 million of investment.
Mr BAYLEY – Point of order, honourable Speaker. This is a question about data centres and your approval.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER – Order. A member is on their feet. I ask that interjections cease, please.
Mr BAYLEY – Mt Lyell and mining were not mentioned once in the question. Just get to the question, please, Premier.
Mr Abetz – Any good news you don’t like.
The SPEAKER – Order.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I characterise the question in investment and economic opportunity. It is a very proud day for the people of Queenie today, and Tasmania. I well remember I was just a few weeks into the role of Deputy Premier when the mine closed, and it’s taken a lot of work –
Dr WOODRUFF – Point of order, 45, relevance, honourable Speaker. The Premier is being completely disrespectful. The question was about AI data centres and whether he’s going to stand with his own community in Wesley Vale.
The SPEAKER – Honourable Premier, I draw you back to the original points raised in the question, please.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I thank the honourable Speaker for the ruling, but I might just say that question was littered with disrespect. We welcome opportunity when it comes to AI factories, data centres, because they provide employment in construction and further employment in operation. Indeed, they were a subject of national Cabinet last Wednesday, where nationally we’re putting guardrails to support the community in terms of AI factories to ensure there are those guardrails. Also, given the huge opportunity these present to Tasmania but also to the companies themselves, my expectation is there must be significant community benefit provided to the community from the companies as well.
What I can say is we won’t stand in the way of investment and opportunity. We have a robust planning system to support these opportunities, and local governments are there to make decisions. My suggestion to anyone who wants to stand for local government in October is if you’re not prepared to make a tough decision, don’t stand. I’m prepared to make tough decisions and tough calls, and I support the opportunity of working with whoever wants to –
The SPEAKER – The honourable Premier’s time has expired.
Supplementary Question
Dr WOODRUFF – The Premier did not answer the question. It was about listening to the community.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER – Order. The only one who should be speaking right now is the honourable Leader of the Greens.
Dr WOODRUFF – It was about him listening to the community. The community have genuine concerns. The disrespect is not towards an industry, it’s about your disrespect to your community. Will you stand with people in Wesley Vale and listen to their concerns about the development of data centres and the fact that they are not being consulted about it?
Mr ROCKLIFF – I thank the honourable member for the supplementary question. As I said in my previous answer, Tasmania has a strong, well‑established planning framework for assessing new development, including data centres and AI infrastructure. Of course, these developments are regulated through Tasmania’s Resource Management and Planning System, which incorporates the Tasmanian Planning Scheme. This system provides a comprehensive and consistent approach to land use decision-making across the state. That is the robustness of the planning system that I speak of and that’s the planning system that I support.
