Who bears the cost of AI infrastructure?
All over Australia, state governments are locked in an arms race to build data centres. Lots of them. This is despite growing international evidence that AI infrastructure comes with terrible consequences for our environment, our energy system, and our communities.
But the Victorian Government isn’t concerned about that. They want to become the data centre capital of Australia. They want to cash in on the huge amounts of investment and deal with the consequences later. Rather than engage in public consultation, the Victorian Government has fast-tracked data centre approvals and kept their much-lauded ‘Data Centre Sustainability Action Plan’ a secret.
I first raised the issue of data centres in mid-2025, and the chorus of voices speaking out against them has only grown larger. On 1st of July I attended Borderlands Cooperative‘s organising meeting, which called for a moratorium on data centre approvals in Victoria until there is a comprehensive regulatory framework and social licence for them. A motion was proposed:
That this meeting:
– Commits to fighting the proliferation of data centres
– Calls for an immediate moratorium on further data centre planning approvals
– Supports the establishment of a shared resource wiki by Borderlands Cooperative
The motion was debated and was passed.
Action you can take today
If you haven’t already, please sign and share this parliamentary petition about the Plumpton data centre hub. Although parliament has closed for this term the petition will be handed to another MP in the next parliament. Once it reaches 10,000 signatures it will trigger a debate in parliament.
There are many other petitions associated with a broad call for a moratorium on data centres, as well as many that are about specific data centres and geographical areas. I encourage you to sign any and all petitions that you feel adequately represent your concerns.
Communities in the West deserve better
Since the middle of 2025, I’ve been sounding the alarm on Victoria’s frenzied rollout of AI data centres in Parliament, including the hyper-scale expansion in West Footscray. There is a Data Centre Map website that, at the time of writing, lists 64 data centres either already operating, or with planning permissions in place, in Melbourne.
Those who know the full extent of the threats posed by data centres speak out
Even former Federal Science Minister, Ed Husic MP, has expressed concerns with Australia’s ‘hands off’ approach. He told ABC’s Four Corners:
“I think we run the risk of a terrible judgement potentially from future generations … we had an opportunity to rein in risk and to really get the best out of AI and we didn’t take it.”
I wholeheartedly agree with these statements by Mr Husic.
Communities shouldn’t be expected to bear the cost of the ruthless pursuit of investment. We need proper regulations and safeguards now, so that AI’s benefits can be shared by all, and it won’t cost the earth.
You can get involved in the following ways:
Frequently asked questions here.
More reading:
Climate Council Report: Clouded Future: Managing the Risks of the Data Centre Boom
Greenpeace Report: Energy Vampires: The AI Data Centres Draining Australia
New York enacts nation’s first moratotium on data centres | New York Times
