The City of Greater Geelong has been strongly publicly and privately advocating to the State and Federal Governments for much greater protections for residents and mandatory local community benefits.

Today’s changes include data centres being banned from residential areas, kept away from homes with 150-metre buffer zones, requirements to supply their own electricity, use non-drinking water only and investment in local community benefits.

“We needed to find a pathway through the contentious debate about the location of data centres and today’s announcement by the State Government provides common sense guardrails that will help provide a clearer way forward,” said City of Greater Geelong CEO Ali Wastie.

The City had written to the State Minister responsible for Artificial Intelligence Anthony Carbines and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles urging great protections and benefits for communities.

Ms Wastie said the message coming loud and clear from the Geelong community, and across the state, was that they felt they weren’t being listened to by governments as they sought to fast-track data centres.

“Communities have been rightly asking a simple question: data centres will generate enormous value for big tech companies, but what’s in it for us?”

“The old rules were not fit or purpose and failed to protect the liveability of communities and there was nothing to force data centre developers to deliver lasting benefits to the communities hosting them.

“It is good to see the State Government has listened and this re-set should help bring some much-needed calm the debate in this critical area.

“The City of Greater Geelong encourages data centres in our region to deliver the artificial intelligence that will power the future economy, but they must be in the right industrial areas to minimise the impact on communities and they must contribute to the communities that will host them.”