Petition Fully assess planning decision for a proposed Victorian AI Hub

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council an AI and data centre precinct, known as the Victorian AI Hub, is being proposed to be built within the Plumpton area of Melbourne's west. A report by The Age indicates that approximately 350 hectares of land may have been assembled for the proposal within Melbourne's green wedge. The broader landscape contains recognised environmental, cultural and community values, including endangered ecological vegetation communities, biodiversity corridors, areas of Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity and conservation efforts. The proposal has also been reported as being strategically located near major electricity transmission infrastructure. Given the scale of the reported project, questions have been raised regarding potential impacts on biodiversity, waterways, cultural heritage, landscape character, community amenity, long-term land management and future infrastructure requirements. Technological advancements can provide genuine benefits but proposals of this scale should be subject to rigorous assessment, transparent decision-making and meaningful public consultation.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to ensure the environmental, cultural, social and infrastructure implications of the proposed Victorian AI Hub are fully assessed and publicly considered before any planning decisions are made, including the cumulative impacts with existing and proposed data centre and energy infrastructure developments across Melbourne's west, and potential impacts on biodiversity, waterways, ecological connectivity, landscape character, local communities, ecological land management and the environmental, cultural and landscape values of Melbourne's green wedge.