Tas Power Democracy - An Update
- Aug 26
- 15 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Our Marinus Supreme Court Appeal
Those of you who have been on this email list for awhile will know that we previously started two separate appeals against Project Marinus in the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal: one against the proposed Marinus Link infrastructure at Heybridge, and the other against the NWTD transmission line that supports the Marinus Link undersea cable. We are still waiting for the decision in the first appeal, but the second one went against us.
TasNetworks was quick to gloat in its subsequent newsletter, crowing triumphantly: "the project can now progress into construction"... But, we didn't give up. Off we went to the Supreme Court, and after a very stressful week of getting all the needed documents together, we lodged our appeal. One thing to be aware of is that unfortunately an appeal on its own does not automatically stop project construction. For that you also need a stay order. We therefore had to file an urgent stay application, and the very next day we had a Court hearing. However, the outcome is still uncertain because the hearing was adjourned and will resume again on Friday, 4 September.
As before, we are without a lawyer in this appeal and are having to self-represent. That's not going to stop us, though... Bring it on, Goliath! Oh, yeah! For the full story on our Supreme Court case, please read our press release on Facebook.
Firmus Bell Bay AI Factory Approved
Despite strong community resistance, the George Town Council approved the proposed Firmus data centre at Bell Bay, voting for it 6-1. Strangely, the only Councillor who voted against the proposal was Winston Archer, the spouse of Health Minister Bridget Archer. In the past, the two of them faced heavy criticism over an alleged conflict of interest concerning the Bell Bay wind farm planned to be built on Winston Archer's land, and the financial gain they stand to make from the project. It is therefore very surprising that he would have chosen to vote against the Firmus data centre, considering the close connections between wind farms, Marinus, and planned AI expansion in Tasmania. A strategic move perhaps?
The George Town Council has notified those who made a representation concerning the Firmus development that they will have 14 days to appeal the decision. If you are among those who made a representation, please consider lodging an appeal. It could help block the Firmus project from going ahead.
According to an ABC article, the George Town Council received 349 submissions from the public about the proposed data centre covering issues such as power and water use, air, noise and light pollution, and environmental impacts. There was also an online petition of nearly 6,000 signatures urging the Councillors to vote against the development. Nevertheless, the Council overwhelmingly approved it.
Now, you might be wondering, how did this happen? How is it possible that this project was approved when so many people opposed it and provided good reasons to reject the development application?
It is a complex issue, and potential conflicts of interest are not the only problem. As one former Councillor in our Northwest community (who cares deeply about Tasmania) explained, the development approvals system is set up so that even if the decisionmaker disagrees with the project for valid reasons, there is very little legal room to reject it, and any attempt to do so would result in serious consequences. As a result, this former Councillor felt compelled to approve a number of projects that he disliked. A Pulse Tasmania article confirms this state of affairs, stating:
"Councillors said their hands were largely tied. Acting as a planning authority, they could only weigh the proposal against the Tasmanian Planning Scheme, not wider questions about energy, water or AI policy."
Long term, the only way to change how things are done is to change the politicians who represent us. We need members of Parliament who will write planning laws and other legislation in the interests of ordinary Tasmanians rather than large, powerful developers, and we need Councillors who actually care about this state, and apply the law accordingly.
Our first opportunity to shake things up will come in October, when Council elections take place Tasmania-wide. It's important to really pay attention and find out who the candidates are. Read about them, talk to them, learn what they stand for and what kind of people they are. Share the information you gain with as many other people as possible. You might even wish to consider running for office yourself, or maybe you know someone who is well-suited for the role. Encourage them if you possibly can. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission provides details on what is required to become a local government candidate.
Nominations open on 7 September and close on 21 September. More info: https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/local-government/elections-2026/index.html
We are really getting to a desperate point in Tasmania where if things keep going as they are, our politicians will simply destroy our state. We have to change the situation urgently.
On a positive note, our hard work to spread the word about Marinus and AI data centres is starting to pay off. About a year ago when Firmus first announced its Launceston data centre, there was scarcely any reaction. The news met with silence. Now there are protests, petitions, public meetings, and more as people are starting to realise what's happening and how important it is to stop these plans from going ahead. It was also very encouraging to see that at the protest outside the George Town Council ahead of the Firmus vote, demonstrators were holding Marinus protest signs alongside "No Data Centre" signs and "No Bell Bay Wind Farm" placards. That shows a deep level of community understanding of how these issues are all connected. With only limited information from the Government, we have joined the dots between Marinus, wind farm/renewables projects, and AI data centres ourselves, and we have done a great deal to help others understand as well.
Let us build on that success. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. At every opportunity, talk to as many people as you can about Marinus and data centres, and how the energy projects needed to support them stand to harm Tasmania. If each of us does this, together we will be able to build the public opposition necessary to put an end to these horrible projects that threaten our future and our way of life.
Firmus Wesley Vale AI Factory DA on Public Exhibition
Firmus has just lodged a development application for an AI data centre in Wesley Vale, and the public will have 14 days to make a representation to the council about the proposed project.
Yes, it will probably be approved just like the Bell Bay data centre was, but it's still really important to make a submission if you possibly can, even if you only have time to write a paragraph. If we say nothing, then Firmus and the government will assume that we all agree. On the other hand, if we make our opposition to the project loud and clear, that will send a strong message and will also help to build even more public resistance. Moreover, even if the data centre is approved in the end, lodging a submission will give you the power to appeal the permit decision later on if you decide to do so.
Submissions can be emailed to: submissions@latrobe.tas.gov.au
Deadline for submissions: lodge by 9 September 2026
By the way, Firmus is now claiming that it will cool its Wesley Vale facility using rainwater and water that it trucks in. Can we believe that? Especially after Firmus earlier accidentally published information on its website revealing plans to use state-owned agricultural irrigation water for its data centres – and later deleted the note from its FAQ page.
The Overlooked Burnie AI Data Centre and Hydrogen / E-Fuels
In recent months, the Firmus AI factories have received a lot of public attention, but the lesser-known VIRIDIS data centre approved for Burnie has largely flown under the radar. It is, of course, a considerably smaller facility than the Firmus developments, but we might still want to ask ourselves whether we really want it in the Burnie CBD. It might look relatively innocent compared to the larger Firmus AI factories, yet it is part of the same larger story of the AI industry exploiting our state. Perhaps it's time we gave it some thought.
According to the official website, the VIRIDIS data centre will create just 5-20 local jobs during construction, and 5-16 ongoing operational roles once live. Interestingly, it will also rely on a "staged clean-energy microgrid incorporating solar, battery storage and hydrogen clean-burn technology for long-duration backup power with near-zero emissions".
Hmm... hydrogen. Is that one of the reasons that the Tasmanian government is so eager to establish a hydrogen and e-fuel industry in Tasmania? To help provide backup power for AI data centres? The TasNetworks website states: "Tasmanian Renewable Hydrogen Action Plan sets out the State Government’s vision to capitalise on the State’s many advantages and become a world-leader in large-scale renewable hydrogen production." Interesting. They are aiming really high, aren't they, if they want Tasmania to become a "world leader" in hydrogen production.
Incidentally, there is already work being done overseas to use e-Fuel in place of diesel to decarbonise backup power for "climate-friendly" data centers. While this might sound attractive on first glance, recall that the wind farms, transmission lines, and other energy infrastructure needed to produce green hydrogen and e-Fuel create significant impacts on our environment and farmers. Plus, the hydrogen industry is expected to use water from Tasmania's state-owned irrigation scheme for production. We have to ask ourselves, what's in it for us? Tasmanians are being asked to hand over their resources and endure environmental impacts to make these industries possible, but what do we get in return? From all we have heard so far, not much.
Important: New Ministerial Powers to Rezone Land Across Tasmania
There is a very concerning Bill before Parliament right now, which would give extraordinary new powers to the Minister for Planning to rezone land across Tasmania, on both public and private property. Planning Matters Tasmania (PMAT) writes: "The Minister could fast-track changes, literally overnight, to take effect immediately for up to 12 months, with no consultation".
What this means in practice is that if the Minister for Planning decides to rezone land as, say, an AI Factory Zone, it would be hard to stop him. The same goes for Renewable Engergy Zones (REZs), and other controversial and unpopular land zoning changes that the Government wishes to push through.
Two years ago, our group fought hard to stop the Northwest Renewable Energy Zone, which was the first REZ ever proposed in our state. We won that battle, but even then we knew that it was only a temporary victory, and that the Government would soon be up to its old tricks again. Well, here is their second try – and a much sneakier attempt this time around.
PMAT writes: "In the ten years of PMAT’s advocacy, this is the most complex Bill we have ever worked on. Not even a top planning lawyer could give us definitive advice on what we believe to be unprecedented new powers granted to the Minister for Planning."
What We Can Do
On its website, PMAT provides a quick and easy way to take action. There is a template objection letter provided that you can use, along with an email list of politicians in the Legislative Council. Simply copy the letter, make any changes to it that you like, and then send to that list of email addresses. If possible, please do so before 2 September to ensure that your letter is received before the upper house of Parliament votes on the Bill.
By the way, for those who are unaware, the Tasmanian Government plans to establish Renewable Energy Zones over roughly two-thirds of Tasmania in the Northeast, Northwest, and Central Highlands. That means that shockingly large portions of our state could eventually be covered with wind farms, transmission lines, and other energy infrastructure. Have a look for yourself at AEMO's REZ map on the Government's ReCFIT website.
In a recent YouTube video, Barnaby Joyce of the One Nation party spoke of the upheaval and misery that Renewable Energy Zones are causing on the mainland, and of the mounting public resistance against them. "We want the REZs dead and buried in the swamps with the mammoths. That's where the REZs belong," Barnaby Joyce said. Very well spoken. It was also encouraging to see that representatives of One Nation came out to support the AI data centre protest in front of the George Town Council.
It is unfortunate that almost no one except One Nation has been speaking out against Renewable Energy Zones and the harmful energy projects that come with them. We are, however, very lucky to have incoming Greens Senator Vanessa Bleyer soon to take her place in Parliament. As previously mentioned in earlier email updates, Vanessa was our lawyer in the first of our two TASCAT cases against Project Marinus. She is strongly opposed to Marinus Link and to wind farms in Tasmania and has not been afraid to voice her views, despite being a member of the Green party. We wish Vanessa well as she begins her work in the Senate.
Important Submission: Code of Conduct for Renewable Projects
Deadline: 13 September 2026
Email submissions to: guideline@recfit.tas.gov.au
There is a very important public consultation going on right now, which will be used to help the Tasmanian Government develop a Code of Conduct for renewable energy developers and electricity infrastructure providers. This includes developers of new transmission lines, wind and solar projects, and battery energy storage systems.
Craig Garland MP, who introduced the Parliament Motion that made this Code of Conduct possible, wrote in a Facebook post: "Communities have waited many years to be respected and heard fairly, especially around energy developments and electricity infrastructure projects. Following my successful motion to Parliament at the end of March earlier this year, the Government has recently released a draft Code of Conduct for electricity developers. And they are now accepting community submissions."
In an email, Craig Garland explained the purpose as follows: "A Code of Conduct, once implemented, should lead to positive steps towards fairer treatment of the public plus meeting a clearer set of expectations when planning and developing energy projects."
Let us therefore make the most of this opportunity to be heard and shape our future. Please email your submissions to:guideline@recfit.tas.gov.au
More information on how to make a submission:
Additional News
Just a few more items to finish off this news update...
Earlier this month, Peter George MP asked Felix Ellis (the Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy) whether the Government would impose a pause on further data centre approvals until the Federal Government had determined its position and Tasmania had had a chance to establish a data centre strategy framework. Minister Ellis said: "The answer is no; we wouldn't be seeking a moratorium". This is despite a Parliamentary petition calling for a moratorium that has now gained close to ten thousand signatures.
Craig Garland MP has also been asking the Government tough questions in Parliament. When he asked the Premier whether Tasmanians would effectively end up subsidising Firmus in relation to energy generation, Jeremy Rockliff talked a great deal in reply but never actually answered the question.
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While not exactly news (since it was published in late June), here is a really excellent, in-depth article by Ruth Forrest MLC that explains why the Firmus data centres make the business case for Marinus Link obsolete:
Marinus: From Export Dream to Import Reality
The following quote from the article pretty much sums up the disaster that the Tasmanian Government is getting our state into with Marinus Link: "Perhaps the most striking claim is that Marinus and new industrial load 'are not competing ideas'. They are. Marinus requires exports. Firmus eliminates exports. Marinus requires new renewables. Firmus requires new renewables. Hydro cannot underwrite new renewables. Tasmania is likely to remain a net importer. Marinus becomes an predominantly import cable. Hydro’s profit surge collapses. These are structural contradictions, not complementary outcomes as suggested."
In other words, instead of generating the promised hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for our state by exporting energy to the mainland, Marinus Link will more likely function as an overpriced insurance policy, serving mostly as an energy import cable that we pay for, while Firmus gobbles up the energy that was originally intended for export.
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Finally, for those who were not able to listen to our Marinus/AI data centre protest song Pimpin' Tassie to the Cloud on Facebook, there is now a YouTube version that you can access. Please share with others! It's a fun way to help spread the word and get people thinking.
Save Tasmania from Marinus Link and AI Data Centres
Join Our Group! Become a Member of Tas Power Democracy
We would love to have you join us as we work together to protect our beautiful state from Marinus Link, transmission lines, wind farms, and AI data centres. These projects are all connected and form part of the same larger story. Therefore, regardless of which particular project affects you personally, our best chance of succeeding against them all is if we unite and join forces in our common purpose.
To become a member of Tas Power Democracy, simply fill out the membership form and email it to: kim@levenrivercruises.com.au The cost of a Basic Membership is just $2.
'Slow Motion Trainwreck' – Wind Projects Frozen, Transmission Behind Schedule
After years of ambitious promises from the government, harsh reality is starting to hit plans for the rollout of wind power in Tasmania and nationwide. In the following short radio segment, Smart Energy Council CEO David McElrea discusses why the construction of wind farms has ground to a halt:
Why Tasmania hasn't had a new wind farm become operational since 2020
Despite "plenty of new wind farms in the pipeline", they are not being built in Tasmania for a number of reasons including public opposition, rising labour and capital costs, and new transmission infrastructure not being ready on time. The public opposition point was especially interesting. David McElrea spoke of places like Robbins Island, where community resistance to proposed energy projects over environmental concerns continues.
Although not specifically mentioned in the radio interview, our group has also played an important role. Two years ago, the Tasmanian government was racing to declare the Northwest Renewable Energy Zone over some of the best, most fertile agricultural land in our state as well as environmentally sensitive locations... until they encountered stiff resistance from local residents. All our hard work in collecting petition signatures, attending public meetings, distributing flyers, hanging protest signs, and more paid off! Two years later, and there is still no Renewable Energy Zone, nor even talk of one.
The battle is far from over, of course, but we are determined to keep going.
Topher Field goes into greater depth on the subject of transmission lines and the renewables rollout in a recent interview with energy analyst Aidan Morrison:
Trillion Dollar Transmission Failure? The 'energy transmission' is dead. Topher Project Ep 450
As Aidan Morrison explains, even though the government has been throwing taxpayer money at wind projects to get them off the ground, investment is all but frozen, with almost no new wind farms being built in Australia. One of the main reasons is that construction of transmission infrastructure has fallen significantly behind schedule. As more wind and solar are added, much more transmission and storage is required to move electricity from where and when it is generated to where and when it is needed. Construction of transmission projects has simply not been happening at the pace required, and wind farm investment has stalled as a result.
Another issue raised in the interview is that as coal-fired power stations close, there start to be energy reliability problems and rolling blackout risks. Aidan Morrison says that the government has played down these risks and not taken them seriously, ignoring important information in AEMO's MT PASA reports. As energy projects become more difficult and expensive to deliver, the government's 82% renewable energy target by 2030 is looking increasingly doubtful.
As we continue to watch this trainwreck unfold and do our part to help end it faster, let's not forget to have some fun and enjoy life in the process. Here's our Pimpin’ Tassie to the Cloud protest song to finish off this news update:
"Pimpin’ Tassie to the Cloud" – Marinus/AI Satirical Protest Song
For a bit of fun, our group has created a humorous protest rap song against Marinus Link and AI data centres. Have a listen! Here's the link:
Pimpin’ Tassie to the Cloud
Please share the song with your networks!
And just in case anyone is wondering, yes we used AI to generate the song and images in the video! ... Using AI to fight AI, and turning the AI data-centre kings’ own tools against them. Don't you just love the irony? Here are the lyrics:
Pimpin’ Tassie to the Cloud
They said it was just a cable.
Just one little cable.
Then the AI factories rocked up thirsty.
Uh-oh.
Marinus brings the cable, pollies bring the spin,
Foreign tech giants saying, “Let us in.”
Big cable, bill bigger, Tassie getting sold,
Marinus pimpin’ Tassie to the cloud.
Stop Marinus, shout it out,
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud.
Save Tassie, stand your ground,
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud.
Marinus Link, they sold it like a dream,
Transmission lines tearing through farms and trees.
Wind farms waving like, “How do you do?”
Power bills climbing while the pollies grin at you.
Farmers said, “Mate, what’s this plan?”
They said, “Don’t worry, it’s good for the land.”
Then a tower popped up where the cows used to chew,
And the brochure said, “Green!” so it must be true.
AI in the paddock, data centres on the scene,
Foreign corporations want our power for their machine.
They call it innovation, they call it clean,
But it walks like a hustle with a sticker saying “green.”
Marinus brings the cable, pollies bring the spin,
Foreign tech giants saying, “Let us in.”
Big cable, bill bigger, Tassie getting sold,
Marinus pimpin’ Tassie to the cloud.
Stop Marinus, shout it out,
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud.
Save Tassie, stand your ground,
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud.
Firmus in the doorway with a greedy little smile,
“Just a few more megawatts, we’ll only stay a while.”
But “just a while” means forever once the deal is done,
And the lights start flickering when the AI factories run.
They say, “Jobs! Jobs!” with a glossy ad,
But how many workers does an AI factory add?
One bloke, two techs, and a locked front gate,
While the island pays the bill and the profits emigrate.
Rockliff cuts the ribbon, Duigan sells the line,
Ogilvie says, “Digital future — looking fine!”
But Tassie gets the invoice, not the keys,
And the AI factories hum, “More power, please.”
Who gets the power?
Not us!
Who gets the bill?
That’s us!
Who gets the water?
They do!
Who gets the spin?
We do!
Who loves this island?
We do!
Who sees the swindle?
We do!
Who’s gonna say it?
Real loud!
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud!
Marinus brings the cable, pollies bring the spin,
Foreign tech giants saying, “Let us in.”
Big cable, bill bigger, Tassie getting sold,
Marinus pimpin’ Tassie to the cloud.
Stop Marinus, shout it out,
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud.
Save Tassie, stand your ground,
We’re not your battery, we’re not your cloud.
Not your battery, not your cloud,
Save Tassie, say it loud.
Stop Marinus, stop the cloud,
Save Tassie, say it loud.
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