Pocock warns data centre expansion raises questions on long-term benefit
Independent Senator David Pocock told ABC News Australia that data centre expansion raises serious questions about power consumption, water use, and the long-term return for Australians.
Pocock said he is hearing concerns from communities about data centres being built near homes, with some NSW projects classified as state significant and bypassing council consultation. He raised wider questions about the industry's impact.
Pocock said claims about AI's productivity benefits rest on assumptions he views as overly optimistic and are not sufficient justification for the scale of development proposed.
I think that's an important one to be. around power and diesel generators in communities across the country, burning potentially millions of litres of diesel, what it does to the grid, there's concerns about water. One of the things I'm really focusing on is... You can see that there's a huge bump in terms of construction. One of the side effects is that we're taking tradies away from building houses, but once they're built, what's the long-term return for Australians? And I still haven't had a good answer on that.
David Pocock, Independent Senator