Tuesday, 25 August 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (14:21): Last night Melton City Council became the latest in a growing line of councils to pass a moratorium on new AI data centres. Congratulations to the community, who did not stop turning up and calling on their council to advocate on their behalf. The data centre proposed in Plumpton in the City of Melton would be the largest data centre in Australia, and the scale is truly mind-boggling. It would be almost the size of six Chadstone shopping centres or 175 MCGs. It would use 2.4 gigawatts of energy, which is more energy than our largest coal-fired power station, Loy Yang A. For context, Loy Yang A currently provides 30 per cent of Victoria’s energy – one data centre. Melton residents have been rightly dismayed at this proposal, which is going to cause noise and heat for those who live right nearby and add astronomical pressure on water and energy supplies without any clear benefit for them. They are part of a growing movement of communities right across Victoria who are deeply unsettled by Labor’s enthusiastic entry into the AI arms race before proper regulations are set up to protect our environment, climate, communities and household bills. While the costs of these data centres for communities are enormous, the benefits are not at all clear. They will create minimal employment opportunities while the AI they support is likely to take jobs as the profits go into the pockets of tech billionaires. The Greens will back communities like Melton all the way, and we will not stop until the moratorium is in place.