Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Tim READ (Brunswick) (16:34): Last week the Age revealed that the largest data centre ever proposed in Australia is being quietly mapped out in Plumpton, north-west of Melbourne. At 350 hectares, this facility would consume more power than the entire output of Victoria’s largest coal-fired power station and would rely on fossil gas turbines to manage the swings in energy demand driven by AI training models.

When the Premier appeared before PAEC, my colleague Aiv Puglielli asked her how many data centres she hoped to attract to Victoria, and she said, ‘as many as we possibly can’. What does that say about where the Allan Labor government wants to take Victoria? The answer could be Ireland. A report released last week found that data centres there now consume 22 per cent of Ireland’s electricity, more than every urban household combined. Irish households have already paid an estimated €715 million in additional electricity costs, and that is predicted to double over the next decade. Victoria is blundering down the same path to higher energy bills for Victorians and a delayed transition to renewables. The best time to regulate was before the data centre boom began, but the second-best time for a government to act is now. The Allan Labor government missed the moment, too busy wining and dining tech giants at the tennis it seems.