Wednesday, 26 August 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:40): (2745) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy, and it is about the AI data centre planning failure of the Carroll Labor government. We know that data centres are a 24/7 industrial process, and they should never be built in residential areas, they should never be built in green wedge areas and they should not be in the urban growth corridor. This is just logical, and obviously a Liberal–National government would believe that local amenities and impact must be considered and that communities must have a say. We also believe that we need to have data centres that are operating on a closed system or using recycled water cooling, unlike this particular government. And unlike this particular government, in New South Wales, for instance, they put processes in five years ago. But no, not this Victorian Labor government. They have a data strategy that has only just arrived, and it is an absolute mess.

The secretive state Labor government has shown its incompetence by failing to intelligently plan the placement of AI data centres. It has ignored community concerns about the noise, the heat they generate, the strain on electricity and water resources and the fact that it wants to put them right next to homes. So the action I seek is for the minister for artificial intelligence to clearly outline the following steps that this government will take to (1) review its failed approach to the planning and placement of AI data centres and their impact on the community and the environment; (2) show a strategy that considers the long-term infrastructure, environment and residential energy needs; and (3) demonstrate transparent consultation with communities to ensure their voices are heard and their concerns are properly addressed.

A massive $1.1 billion has been proposed for a data centre that is on 53 hectares in Clyde North, which is in that green wedge area and in the urban growth corridor. I know that mayor Michelle Crowther has worked very, very hard to make sure that the people in the City of Casey are looked after. But here we see a Labor government that are just putting anything anywhere, and they do not have a long-term vision or plan. Local objections include the potential strain on local electricity, on infrastructure, on water resources and on the underground springs and the noise pollution. These are all being ignored by the Carroll Labor government. Labor’s disastrous handling of data centres has resulted in them being built in residential areas, and this is frustrating locals. They are complaining, and they will continue to complain as they get built and noise pollution becomes a major issue.