Australia urged to streamline approvals for multinational data centre projects

At a sustainability conference in Sydney, Matt Kean, chair of the Climate Change Authority, urged Australian policymakers to roll out the "red carpet" for overseas technology giants seeking to build data centres. He noted that the nation already has about $120 billion of data-centre projects in the pipeline, but regulatory hurdles risk driving capital elsewhere. Kean emphasized that stable governance, abundant cheap power, and a willingness to streamline environmental and planning approvals are key to securing these multibillion-dollar investments.

He called for transparent rules on water consumption and renewable-energy commitments, while eliminating unnecessary compliance costs. His comments coincide with a parliamentary inquiry into AI hub development and a recent public consultation on mandatory standards for large data centres. Earlier, Queensland and the Northern Territory had rejected proposals to force additional renewable-energy use in such facilities.