Tasmania’s AI Data Centre Plans Face Transparency Questions Over Jobs

Summary

Tasmania’s government says data centres and AI infrastructure could create jobs, attract investment and diversify the state’s economy. However, the government has not identified six confidential proposals, so their claimed benefits cannot be independently checked before approval. The clearest published figures come from Firmus’s approved, named Bell Bay project, which projects more than 380 construction jobs and more than 115 ongoing roles; those figures are company estimates and have not been audited. Firmus’s Wesley Vale proposal projects 70 construction roles and 20 ongoing positions. Across the two projects, the figures imply roughly three construction jobs for every permanent role, with construction employment ending when building work is complete.