In short:
Residents near a major data centre in Melbourne's west are demanding remediation and financial compensation, including voluntary home buybacks.
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Residents → demand → buybacks
The Victorian government yesterday unveiled a strategy for data centre construction in the state, which will not apply to data centres already built or in the pipeline.
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which → unveil → pipeline
A Senate inquiry into the impact of AI and data centres on Australian communities will hold its final day of hearings on October 1.
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inquiry → hold → October
Residents living just metres from a sprawling, hyper-scale data centre in Melbourne's west have called for remediation and financial compensation over the ongoing impacts of diesel emissions, light and air pollution, and potential fire risk.
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Residents → live → emissions
It comes as a Senate inquiry on artificial intelligence and data centres today heard from residents and local councils about the impact of an influx of data centres in Melbourne's west and north.
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inquiry → come → west
The Victorian government yesterday unveiled new regulations to ban data centres near homes and schools, including 150-metre buffer zones, while mandating the use of renewable energy and non-drinking water.
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government → unveil → energy
But the rules would not be applied retrospectively, meaning projects that had already been approved or had lodged planning applications would not need to abide by the updated standards.
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that → apply → standards
Tech giant NextDC's West Footscray data centre is located just 15 metres from homes.
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centre → locate → homes
An application to more than double the facility's size, lodged earlier this year, would not need to meet the new regulations if approved.
Another data centre, the Perri Melbourne Data Centre (PMDC), was approved by the planning minister last year and will also be situated in West Footscray, just a block away from NextDC.
Citizens for Tottenham, an advocacy group representing residents living in the suburbs of West Footscray, Tottenham and Kingsville, has called for remediation of impacted neighbourhoods, for whom they say new rules are "too little too late".
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rules → double → whom
Among their chief complaints are fumes and air pollution emitted by dozens of back-up diesel generators at the NextDC data centre, which are run regularly for maintenance.
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which → emit → maintenance
Under the group's key requests, the roughly 2,500 residents living within 500 metres of the data centres would be offered a voluntary buyback based on the latest Maribyrnong City Council rates notice or independent market valuation, whichever is higher.
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whichever → live → notice
Stamp duty and moving costs would also be covered, while households would also receive a one-off payment of $10,000 to assist with time off work for moving and "general inconvenience".
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households → cover → moving
"Many people don't want to live near [the data centre], but it's not going anywhere," Citizen for Tottenham member Sean Brown told the ABC.
"People who don't want to be here should be able to move and not be out of pocket."
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who → want → pocket
Greens senator backs calls for compensation
Research released in July by Australian software firm Airteam and Primara estimated that having a data centre located in close proximity could wipe up to $35,000 from a property's price.
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having → back → price
The survey of 1,000 Australians found 83 per cent of respondents would refuse to buy a home near a data centre without a price discount.
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cent → find → discount
Mr Brown said residents who stayed in the area should also be entitled to compensation for loss of amenity during construction, including $5,000 per year for households located at the boundary of either the NextDC or PMDC data centres.
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who → say → centres
He said compensation should be funded by data centre operators or the state government, and that local residents were also considering legal action.
"We've got to work on solutions.
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We → say → solutions
We can't just be protesting, we can't just be raising issues all the time — we've got to find a way forward," Mr Brown said.
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Brown → protest → way
NextDC and PMDC developer Perri Projects has been contacted for comment.
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NextDC → contact → comment
Senate inquiry chair and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young backed calls for impacted residents to be compensated by tech companies.
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residents → back → companies
"It's really clear that Australians need to get something out of this," Ms Hanson-Young said.
"
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Young → need → this
"Right now, the only ones benefiting are the big, trillion-dollar AI companies," she said.
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she → benefit → ?
The Victorian government argues data centre development can benefit the broader economy and communities via job creation and investment, pointing to $5.8 billion in capital expenditure from the sector last year.
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development → argue → sector
Melbourne councils front inquiry
Citizens for Tottenham president Jacqui Glover today appeared before the Senate inquiry into data centres.
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Citizens → appear → centres
Ms Glover, who lives directly across the road from the NextDC data centres, said while the new regulations were a "good start", the government's proposed 150-metre buffer zone was insufficient.
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zone → live → centres
"The diesel emissions are not going to stop at 150 metres," Ms Glover told the inquiry.
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Glover → go → inquiry
"And it's too late for us — the horse has already bolted."
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horse → bolt → us
Hume City Council Mayor Carly Moore also criticised the buffer, telling the inquiry it did not appear to be backed by scientific research.
Maribyrnong Mayor Mohamed Semra said the government's planning framework was "not fit for purpose", with local councils being sidelined.
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councils → criticise → purpose
The Aporia
