Dear Neighbours and Friends,

Our beautiful Tamar Valley is facing an unprecedented threat.

George Town Council has voted 6-1 to approve Firmus Technologies' Development Application (DA 2026/29) to construct a massive, 288-megawatt hyperscale "AI factory" at Long Reach on the very banks of our beloved Tamar River.

We cannot and will not let this stand.

The newly formed Environmental Awareness Association is mounting an urgent legal challenge through the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT)—but we cannot fight this multi-billion-dollar company alone. We need your financial support to save our river.

The stakes for our community could not be higher.

•Stripped of its 50-Year Conservation Protections in 2007: It is heartbreaking to remember that this very land was long recognized for its immense ecological value, protected as a designated Private Conservation Area (Sanctuary) ever since 1958. The State Government revoked this critical status in 2007 solely to open the door for industrial exploitation. We refuse to let a pristine riverbank that was protected for half a century be permanently sacrificed to a heavy industrial AI megafactory.

•No Environmental Impact Assessment: Shockingly, this massive industrial development was pushed through without a single comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The sheer volume of energy, noise, and massive diesel fuel storage, nearly 3 million litres of fuel is proposed for this bushfire-prone area and has never been safely vetted.

•Approved Under Archaic 1993 Rules: The Council evaluated this highly complex, resource-heavy digital factory under outdated planning regulations from 1993. These thirty-year-old rules were written before the internet age, let alone hyperscale AI, and were completely inadequate to protect our community from a development of this scale.

•Devastation of Wildlife & International Flyways: The banks of the Tamar River are a vital ecosystem. This site sits directly on an international migratory bird flyway.

The previous assessments for this exact same site explicitly documented the presence of many endangered species of flora and fauna that will be permanently displaced or destroyed if this industrial concrete footprint expands. This site has been known to contain White Bellied Sea Eagles, Grey Gosh Hawks, as well as Tasmanian Devils, Eastern Quolls and Spotted Quolls to name a few.

•Loss of Local Amenity: The peace, quiet, and natural majesty of the Tamar Valley are what define our home. If we lose this appeal, our landscape will be dominated by a roaring, resource-hungry data facility that threatens our power grid and local water resources, forever altering the character of our region.

•Unmonitored EMF Risks: A 288-megawatt facility introduces immense electrical infrastructure directly into our local environment. The potential impacts of high-level Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on nearby residents, local livestock, and native fauna have not been adequately studied or addressed. We cannot allow our community and wildlife to become a test case for the long-term biological effects of heavy industrial radiation.

If we lose this fight, Tasmania opens its doors to many more AI factory’s. We have already heard there are 10 currently being proposed.

We have the legal grounds to fight this, but legal battles require substantial funding for expert witnesses, environmental scientists, and legal counsel. Every dollar you donate goes directly toward our fighting fund to challenge DA 2026/29.

Please stand with us. Protect the Tamar, protect our wildlife, Tasmania is not for sale!

Thank you for all of you help and support.

We can’t do this alone.