Queensland to Centralize Data Centre Approvals to Avoid 'Inconsistency'
The Queensland government will centralize the planning and assessment of data centre applications to ensure consistency across the state. A new planning framework will require developers to conduct a social impact assessment and negotiate a community benefit agreement with local councils before lodging a development application.
Queensland is set to centralize the planning and assessment of data centre applications, taking the process away from local councils in a bid to streamline development and ensure consistency across the state.
The move comes as a massive data centre project is proposed for the Western Downs, approximately 200 kilometres west of Brisbane, in an area known for its agricultural and coal seam gas industries. The state government has announced that a new planning framework will be introduced, requiring developers to conduct a social impact assessment and negotiate a community benefit agreement with local councils before lodging a development application.
The government claims this change will provide a "consistent and transparent framework across the state," addressing issues where "many councils don't include data centres in their planning schemes, which creates confusion and inconsistency." The framework will treat data centre projects similarly to mining, renewable energy, and tourism projects.
Premier David Crisafulli outlined the state's expectations for data centre investments, stating, "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." He added, "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."
The Western Downs Regional Council is currently assessing a proposed $32 billion Western Downs Digital Park on the site of a cattle feedlot, with international developer Zerra DC having lodged plans for the hyper-scale computing project in August. Notably, Anthropic, the company behind artificial intelligence assistant Claude, has signed on to lease the first of four planned buildings at the site.
Zerra DC has applied for "prescribed process" status, which would allow the state's coordinator-general to take over the decision-making process from the council, amid concerns about the approval timeline.