More than half of Tasmanians oppose the development of AI data centres in the state, a new poll has found.
It comes as Firmus Technologies pushes forward with plans for three AI data centres in northern Tasmania, including a 288-megawatt facility at Bell Bay approved by George Town Council in August and one under construction at St Leonards.
The EMRS survey of 517 Tasmanians this month found 54% oppose data centres, including 32% who strongly oppose them, while 25% support them.
A further 17% neither supported nor opposed them and 5% were unsure.
Liberal voters were the only group in which supporters outnumbered opponents, with 54.8% in favour.
Just 15.2% of Labor voters, 14.8% of independent voters and 11% of Greens voters supported the developments.
One Nation voters were also opposed, with 31.6% in support and 51% against.
EMRS Director and Poll Position co-host Brad Stansfield said he was “astounded” by the gap between Liberal voters and others.
“Jeremy Rockliff and his team have been strongly supportive of data centres,” he said.
“So I think there’s also a sense there that their support is leading their supporters to also support them.”
Poll Position co-host Alex Johnston said the result was “overwhelming”.
“Just one in four Tasmanians support and that includes the somewhat support,” he said.
He said the Labor figures were “probably why we haven’t seen Labor really picking a side in this”.
Stansfield said the respondents most opposed to data centres were also those who felt most informed about them.
Women and people aged 18 to 34 were more likely to oppose data centres, with 61% of women against.
Men were more likely to support them, with 35% in favour.
Energy use was the most commonly cited concern, at 41%, followed by water use at 23%.
Supporters cited increased state revenue, economic growth, jobs and local technology infrastructure.
The online poll was weighted by gender, age, region and education and has a margin of error of 4.31%. Results for smaller groups, such as individual parties’ voters, are less reliable.
The poll also found 47% of respondents consciously use AI in their daily lives, with ChatGPT the most popular tool at 41%.
The poll comes as the Greens criticise the government’s draft statement of expectations for data centres, which encourages proponents to consider forestry waste as an energy source.
Greens MP Tabatha Badger today said it would put pressure on native forests.
“No amount of greenwashing can push this as a renewable source here in Tasmania,” she said.
She called on the government to rule out burning native forests to power data centres.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said forestry waste was a renewable energy source that could include waste from wood chips.
“It’s not going to involve native forest,” he said.
“It all depends on your definition of that, of course.”
“I think most Tasmanians would be staggered that once again, the Greens are against renewable energy in Tasmania.”
