Thursday, 2 April 2026

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance, Minister for Government Services) (14:29): I rise to update the house on the Allan Labor government’s bold plan to target investment, create more jobs and grow Victoria’s digital economy. AI is one of the most transformative technologies of our time. It has reached mass adoption in just three years, and it is offering significant opportunities for our state and our nation. Just last week I was delighted to attend the launch of Victoria University’s Datacentre Academy, which is a partnership with Microsoft and is supported by funding from the Allan Labor government.

Data centres are the engine rooms driving AI and are foundational to a modern economy. Like the Premier has said, we will be relentless in our pursuit of data centres supported by our sustainable data centre action plan. With extensive input from industry as well as experts, we are leveraging our assets, our land, our energy and our talent to unlock projects in the pipeline worth up to $25 billion in capital expenditure and creating thousands of jobs.

When people think about data centres, it is easy to dismiss them as big buildings where not much happens. It is easier to make those assumptions when you are preoccupied with court cases, bankruptcy proceedings or auditioning to be the Shadow Treasurer. But on this side of the house, we know it is about jobs, opportunities and positioning Victoria as a leading global player. With Melbourne home to the largest cluster of AI firms in Australia and with 40 data centres throughout the state, that is thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of jobs ongoing. We are building the digital economy that will underpin our state’s prosperity for generations to come.

Why is this important? Well, let us suppose you have to attend another preselection conference. Your court documents will come back to you fast and reliably, and it means Claude can work even faster as your personal assistant, throwing together a candidate checklist or maybe even a special motion for the party room. While we are building the future and governing this great state, those opposite can barely manage to operate a Google search. The Liberal Party is an analog party for the digital age. The difference could not be clearer.