David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (12:24): My question is to the Minister for Water. Despite some generally welcome rain last week, Victoria has been experiencing ongoing dry conditions and well-below-average rainfall for well over a year. The CSIRO predicts that in Victoria droughts are projected to become longer and more intense, with more time being spent under drought conditions. The hotter, drier weather has seen daily household water usage rise while our water storage levels have decreased from 86 per cent to approximately 75 per cent, with inflows well below the 30-year average.
In her foreword to the Victorian Annual Water Outlook the minister predicted the increasing likelihood of water restrictions in 2026. So I ask: will data centres be subject to the same sorts of water restrictions as the rest of us when they inevitably kick in?
Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:25): I thank the member for his ongoing interest in water and indeed the scarcity of water. As the member would be aware and the chamber certainly should be aware, there are a number of initiatives that this government has put in place. It is timely that we have the former Minister for Water in the gallery, and she obviously is chairing the taskforce that we have established alongside another former Minister for Water, Peter Walsh, looking at a whole range of issues in terms of water security in this state. Of course it is timely because of the situation that we are in, but we also know that there are issues in terms of the gap between rainfall and what can be expected now and into the future.
All that work is starting and is well underway, and of course that report will be provided in early 2027, but we are not waiting on the work that is being done by that taskforce. There are a number of other initiatives that are in place, and you might have noticed the campaign that is currently underway, which is ‘every drop counts’, because we do believe that it is timely for us to make sure that the community is more than aware of the situation that we have in terms of our storage levels. We are also wanting the community to understand the water-saving provisions that have been in place for some time, but I think a lot of people have forgotten about that, so that is why we have also brought the ‘every drop counts’ campaign to the fore, so that we can raise the consciousness and change the habits of the community. We are encouraging the community to be a lot more sparing in terms of their water usage.
In terms of the issue of water restrictions, there have been water restrictions in different locations at different times, and this is an ongoing management issue that the water corps deal with in terms of their local communities, and it is based on advice at the time. In terms of the issue that you particularly raise, it is not the first time that you have raised this issue, and in fact it has been the subject of a motion before the house this morning. This is a matter that is very active in the space of water, and as I have reported, there is work that is being done within the department, with VicWater and with others that are key to the sector, looking at all sorts of different ways that we can look at data centres and the usage of water in particular but also of course being well informed about what is happening in other jurisdictions. Indeed the other element to it is the technology and the technological advances that are in place that are being used by a variety of different data centres around the world.
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (12:28): Thank you very much, Minister. That was really informative and is genuinely appreciated. I think you have answered my supplementary, so perhaps I might just ask for a clarification, if I may. We have heard about the sustainable data centre action plan. I am just a little confused, and perhaps you could just explain it to us. There is a taskforce which I have not heard of before. You referenced a little while back the expert panel with DEECA and VicWater, and I am just wondering: how do those two fit with the sustainable data action plan, and how will that be rolling out?
Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:29): The taskforce, which involves former ministers and also experts when it comes to water, is primarily looking at what we do and what the options are, and all options are on the table, which I think is a breakthrough for the water sector. What do we do about the gap that we know there is between rainfall and usage and the forecasts that are associated with all of that? That is the task that they essentially have. It is a little bit more complicated than that, but I am more than happy to have you briefed in respect to the work of that taskforce. Of course their report will come to government in the first quarter of 2027. The reason that it is coming to government in 2027 is that, as I have said and will continue to say in every forum, water is too important to play politics with, and I do not want their good work that is being undertaken – (Time expired)