22 September 2026 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Legalise Cannabis Victoria MP David Ettershank has called for an immediate moratorium on data centre approvals, describing the Allan Government’s long-awaited Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan as a pitiful pre-election farce.
Mr Ettershank, who has spent more than a year raising concerns in Parliament and working with communities across Melbourne’s west, said the 20-page document offers little comfort to residents already facing enormous developments on their doorsteps.
“ChatGPT could have done a better job writing the government’s $5.5-million Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan. It’s full of vague promises and leaves the serious questions unanswered.
“We’ve been asking about community consultation, electricity costs, fire safety and the impact on people living next to these enormous facilities. The government has finally acknowledged the problems but still can’t tell us when the new protections will apply.
“Why are we still approving developments before the controls are in place?”
In Victoria, data centres account for 30% of national data centre power use, with their electricity demand nearly doubling in the 12 months leading up to mid-2026.
Despite promising that developers will pay for electricity network upgrades directly resulting from their projects, the plan does not explain how the new requirements will operate or what happens if infrastructure is built for developments that never proceed.
“We’ve been asking who pays for the electricity infrastructure these developments need, especially when projects fall over or never get built.
“The government says developers will pay, but where are the details? What happens if a company walks away after the infrastructure is built?
“Ordinary households shouldn’t be left carrying the financial risk of speculative developments.”
Communities left in limbo over new planning protections
The plan also proposes a 150-metre buffer between homes and new data centre buildings. Still, it gives no start date or clear indication of whether it will apply to developments already in the planning system.
“People in Spotswood, West Footscray and across Melbourne’s west have been fighting for answers about developments proposed near their homes.
“Now they’re being promised protections that might not even apply to the developments they’re fighting.
“This is the same government that has spent months courting the data centre industry at Gala Dinners in the Crown and at the Australian Open while communities have been left to fend for themselves.
“Enough of the vague promises, they need to stop the approvals until the rules are in place.”
Mr Ettershank also called on the Victorian Liberals and One Nation to clarify whether they support a moratorium.
“People in Melbourne’s west and north have been living with this uncertainty for long enough. It’s time for every party to put its position on the record.
“Do they support a moratorium, or do they want approvals to continue while the government works out the rules?”
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