How the Government is trying to regulate AI’s environmental impact

August 26, 2026

By the middle of the next decade, Australia's data centres are forecast to use almost as much electricity as every home in New South Wales and Victoria combined. That forecast landed this week. Today, the Prime Minister will meet every state and territory leader to decide who powers all of it - and Queensland and the Northern Territory have already said no. In this morning’s podcast, we’ll explain what a data centre actually is, its environmental impact, and why this discussion has escalated all the way to National Cabinet. 

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Hosts: Emma Gillespie and Sam KoslowskiProducer: Orla MaherVideo editor: Imogen Abbott

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 How the Government is trying to regulate AI’s environmental impact