REGULATION OF AUSTRALIAN DATA CENTRES

Concern about data centres continues to grow around the nation.  A recent report by the independent Climate Council, states Australia currently has at least 162 operational data centres and another 90 proposed.  While these centres have been supporting existing digital services in Australia for many years, cloud computing and the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) require much more computing power and the need for more data centres.  And international players regard Australia as an ideal location for data centres.

There are major community concerns about the impact the surge in data centre developments will have on the cost to our climate and water and power bills. 

Data centres require a huge, uninterrupted supply of electricity and water to keep them operating and cooled as well as backups for both essentials in case of breakdowns in regular sources.  The Climate Council is concerned that without additional renewable energy generation and system flexibility, the industry’s power demand risks extending reliance on coal and gas, pushing up power prices and harming national and state climate targets.  And water demand for data centres is likely to at least triple by 2030.

The Federal Government, having welcomed investment in data centres, has been on notice for some time about addressing community concerns about the growth of the Australian data centre industry.  Last month the Prime Minister pledged to ensure that data centres bring on new renewable energy.  This was followed up with a meeting of Energy Ministers on July 28 where most states and territories agreed to regulate to ensure that data centres match their electricity demand with new renewables and that this renewable power is additional to what already exists or is being built.

While the Climate Council sees this as positive there are questions about timeframes and how it will be implemented.  Hopefully the both the Federal and State Governments will act decisively and quickly on their commitments.  Concerned community members will certainly be watching.

The Senate is conducting an Inquiry on Artificial Intelligence and Data Centres with submissions due by September 1.

-        Leonie Blain

Published in the Voices for the Earth column in The Clarence Valley Independent   7th August,  2026. 

A PLEA FOR ACTION

Last week, our beautifully biodiverse property, with its Koalas, Bettongs, Gilders, and a host of other native animals, was once again engulfed in flames.

This is the third time in the last 14 years, and after putting our hearts and souls into conserving wildlife for almost 50 years, Pat and I now face the reality that we’ve failed.

Virtually all the old trees that had survived for hundreds of years providing shelter and sustenance to countless species of native fauna, many of them threatened, are gone and will never be replaced.

In some respects, we could consider ourselves fortunate. Neighbouring forested land, just 400m away, has suffered from wildfires in 2011, 2016, 2019, 2023, and now in 2026. None were caused by lightning strikes or other natural phenomena.

For the past six months we have watched the northern hemisphere on fire - Canada, the US, Russia, all of Europe, even the UK, and now it’s our turn, and all because the world’s governments have failed to act on climate change.

In 2008, 30 years after emissions reduction was first discussed at the Geneva World Climate Conference, NASA climate scientists proposed that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations needed to be kept below 350 parts per million to avoid catastrophic climate change. Two decades later, the current level is 425ppm and rising, with the most optimistic prediction being that they’ll peak in 2030, and we’re already reaping the consequences.

Last year, 12,773 homes, 5,116 minor structures, and 496 commercial structures were destroyed by wildfires in the United States, yet the Trump administration opposes federal caps on greenhouse gases and has revoked numerous climate action initiatives.

For our part, Australia is exporting near-record volumes of coal and gas, volumes that have been steadily increasing for years, decision-makers seemingly oblivious to the consequences; and this is a government that purports to believe that climate change is happening.

With further global temperature rises already locked in and guaranteed, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emission has never been greater, for without it, we’ll all be the losers.

 

-        John Edwards

Published in the Voices for the Earth column in The Clarence Valley Independent   18th September,  2026.

  

 

Clarence Valley Council and Community Consultation

In December 2024 Clarence Valley Council changed the structure and operation of its community advisory committees with the number of committees reduced from ten to four. In the past a councillor chaired the advisory committee meetings and a council officer from middle management attended and managed the committee’s business.  The new committees are still chaired by a councillor but the council officer attending has been upgraded with the General Manager Laura Black now the council officer generally in charge of proceedings at all advisory committee meetings.

Community members were appointed to the four committees in mid-2025 with the first meetings being held in July.

Having been a long-term member of a pre-2025 advisory committee (Climate Change), I have been interested in the effectiveness of the new arrangement.  I have looked at the operation of the Environment and Sustainability Advisory (E&S) Committee, chaired by Councillor Novak.  

Five applicants were appointed to the E&S Committee with two resigning early in the piece.  Several further advertisements saw more applicants appointed.  There are now six members.    Two meetings were held in 2025.  In 2026 there have been three meetings – one of which went ahead despite the absence of a quorum. Two further meetings are scheduled for this year.  It seems council, which originally wanted only four two-hour meetings a year, has finally twigged to the scale of the matters it wants this committee to discuss.

Having attended all but the first meeting in July 2025, I have seen changes in the meeting process and the committee members’ participation.  Frustration about the timely provision of information prior to meetings saw members finally complaining – leading to this being improved. Another concern raised was the failure to present the Koala policy to the committee before it went to a council meeting and then on public exhibition. 

A major positive is the increasing assertiveness of committee members while a major negative is the Chair’s determination to end the meeting well before two hours.  Another problem is the proposed Working Groups. More on that another time.

-        Leonie Blain

Published in the Voices for the Earth column in The Clarence Valley Independent   24th  July, 2026 , under the title "Council and Community Consultation".

  

 Update: 

1)  There are now seven community members of the E&S Committee

2)  A further meeting was held on 1st September.  Another meeting is scheduled for November.

3)  Meetings are held in the Council Chambers in Prince St, Grafton.  Community members may attend these meetings as observers.