+34
The Queensland state government is implementing a new planning framework that removes data centre assessment authority from local councils, introducing mandatory social impact assessments and community benefit agreements while setting strict conditions on job creation and energy usage for AI-driven projects.
David Crisafulli says Queensland has a set of firm requirements for data centres. The Queensland government will take the planning and assessment of data centre applications away from local councils under a system set to be rolled out in coming weeks.
It comes as Australia's largest proposed data centre is planned for the Western Downs, 200 kilometres west of Brisbane, in an area rich in agriculture and coal seam gas wells. The state government said the new planning framework would mirror its changes to renewable energy developments by requiring a social impact assessment and a community benefit agreement to be made with the local council before a development application was lodged.
(Developers are increasingly eyeing sites across Queensland as locations for data centres to power artificial intelligence development due to the state's available land and capacity to connect to the energy grid. Queensland is also yet to put in place dedicated planning for data centre infrastructure, unlike Victoria and New South Wales. The state government said the changes would ensure a "consistent and transparent framework across the state".
"Many councils don't include data centres in their planning schemes, which creates confusion and inconsistency," the state government said in a statement. "We will treat these projects no worse and no better than we do mining, renewables or tourism projects," it said. 'Non-negotiables' for Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said data centre investment would need to create local jobs and drive down electricity bills.
"If data centres want to do business in Queensland, here's the non-negotiables: you're not going in people's backyards, you're not pinching our power, and you're not shipping our data off overseas," Mr Crisafulli said on Thursday. "And if all of those can be done, and if the investment can be in driving down people's power bills and we create some jobs in the process, big tick.
" About 46 per cent of the nation's feedlot occupancy is located within 200 kilometres of Dalby, according to the Western Downs Regional Council. The Western Downs Regional Council is in the process of assessing the $32 billion Western Downs Digital Park proposed on the site of a cattle feedlot. International developer Zerra DC lodged plans for the hyper-scale computing project in August.
Anthropic, the company behind artificial intelligence assistant Claude, hasWhile the Western Downs Regional Council says it has no firm timeframe for assessing the application, the developer wants the state government to step in to speed up the approvals process. Zerra DC has applied for "prescribed process" status under state government rules which would allow Queensland's coordinator-general to take over the decision-making from the council.
Queensland Government Data Centres Planning Policy David Crisafulli Artificial Intelligence
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Qld treasurer calls for GST overhaul at National Press ClubQueensland Treasurer David Janetzki has criticised the federal government's GST distribution system in a historic address to the National Press Club in Queensland.
Read more »
Queensland Youth Detention Workers Reach In-Principle Pay Deal After StrikesThe Australian Workers' Union and two other unions have reached an in-principle pay agreement with the Queensland government for youth detention workers after months of strikes and workplace bans. The deal includes 3.5 per cent first-year pay rises, retention payments and must still be voted on by staff.
Read more »
Queensland Defies Federal Government Refusing to Join Thriving Kids Autism ProgramThe Queensland government has refused to adopt the federal Thriving Kids program for autistic children, calling it a bad deal and lacking clear funding, leaving the state as the only jurisdiction not participating in the new support system.
Read more »
Queensland Woman Organises Self-Defence Workshop After Stalking IncidentAfter being harassed and stalked during a run in Brisbane, Kate withdrew her complaint but shared her story online. The overwhelming response and statistics on sexual violence inspired her to organise a personal safety workshop with former police officer Danielle Godfrey to empower women and help them regain confidence through practical skills and awareness.
Read more »