Policy & regulation
NSW inquiry finds data centre approvals ignore combined impacts, rejects moratorium
A cross-party New South Wales inquiry concluded that data centres are assessed project by project even though their effects on water, power and infrastructure add up. The committee voted 6-1 against a moratorium, over the objection of its Greens chair.
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Treasury has not calculated net benefit of attracting AI data centres, inquiry hears
A Treasury official told a parliamentary committee on 30 October 2026 that the department has done no formal net benefit calculation for hosting large AI data centres. Parliamentarians pressed on grid demand, tax and where the value ends up.
Fibre, subsea & interconnect
EonFibre adds 400G Trans-Tasman capacity between New Zealand and Australia
New Zealand wholesale fibre provider EonFibre has lifted its Trans-Tasman offering to 400G, targeting data centre, cloud, hyperscaler and carrier customers. The company said the service is available from November 2026.
Data centres
Firmus 26MW AI research facility approved at Wesley Vale without a council vote
Latrobe Council staff cleared Firmus's 26-megawatt AI research and development facility at the former Wesley Vale pulp mill with no advertising or councillor vote, and the outgoing mayor says the planning scheme is not fit for purpose. The Environmental Defenders Office has separately urged a parliamentary inquiry to back a moratorium on large data centre approvals.
Data centres
Data centres push Australia's project pipeline to a record $1.39 trillion, Deloitte says
Deloitte Access Economics' Investment Monitor counts 37 data centre projects worth $141 billion within a $1.39 trillion national pipeline. The firm warns that skilled labour shortages and above-target inflation threaten delivery.