According to Building Tasmania, the draft Tasmanian Government Statement of Expectations  for Data Centres and AI Infrastructure is intended to provide guidance and confidence to  proponents, investors, industry, communities and other stakeholders, while supporting the  responsible development of data centre and AI projects that deliver enduring benefits for  Tasmania. 

The consultation period on the draft expectations opened on the 7 September 2026 and  closed at 11.59pm on Monday 12 October 2026. 

Building Tasmania sought views on seven consultation questions regarding maximising  benefits to Tasmania; early engagement with community and stakeholders, engagement  with Tasmanian Government, supporting Tasmania’s energy system, sustainable water  usage, approval pathways and transparency and reporting. 

PMAT’s September 2026 submission to the Parliament of Tasmania’s Inquiry into AI Data  Centres in Tasmania calls for four key actions regarding AI data centre development in  Tasmania. The four actions address these consultation questions and are outlined below and  can be read in detail in our September 2026 submission:  

1. Immediately implement a moratorium in Tasmania on AI data centre development until safe regulations are in place across Tasmania; 
2. Immediately initiate an Interim State Planning Provision (SPP) amendment to  recognise and address the specific impacts of the development and construction of  AI and data facilities in Tasmania while ensuring public comment and planning  appeal rights;  
3. Immediately expand the State Policy on Water Quality Management 1997 to  include water usage; and 
4. Immediately create a Tasmanian State Policy on Energy. 

The Australian Federal Government has already produced a similar statement of  expectations to the draft Tasmanian Government Statement of Expectations for Data Centres  and AI Infrastructure. The Australian Federal Government released its Expectations of data  centres and AI infrastructure developers on 23 March 2026 as part of its broader National AI  Plan. 

It is now the role of the State to take the Federal Government document and create policies  based on those expectations. From those policies enforceable, objectives and standards  must be created and embedded in the Tasmanian Planning Scheme. To suggest that the  existing Tasmanian Planning Scheme is going to produce best practice planning and good  outcomes when it does not even include a suitable definition of a large Data Centre (or AI  Factory) or allow for the cumulative impact of multiple such centres, is nothing more than  wishful thinking. 

The draft Tasmanian Government Statement of Expectations for Data Centres and AI  Infrastructure document currently provides no certainty to the community that their  concerns will be listened to and used to inform planning decisions that will have enforceable  conditions attached to them. 

Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania Inc. (PMAT) was established with the principal purpose  of educating and communicating information on land use planning in Lutruwita/Tasmania.  Land use planning plays a vital role in protecting and enhancing Tasmania’s natural  environment and supporting ecologically sustainable development. PMAT believes our  planning system must also provide opportunities for informed community input in planning  matters and decisions, including provision of appeal rights. 

Yours sincerely, 
Sophie Underwood