Andrew Charlton flags federal plan to speed up data centre approvals
The Albanese government plans to fast-track approvals for data centres with their own renewable energy as Australia races to build AI infrastructure.
The Albanese government is working to support faster approvals for data centres across Australia, focusing on facilities that supply their own renewable energy.
In the government’s most significant comments yet on streamlining approvals for AI infrastructure, Andrew Charlton said developers currently face approval requirements from potentially hundreds of government agencies when building data centres in Australia.
“When you are trying to build a data centre in Australia, there are a lot of approvals that you need to get. Sometimes those approvals can be in the hundreds,” the assistant science, technology and digital economy minister said during a panel discussion at SXSW Sydney on Tuesday.
He cited examples such as needing rail authority approval to run cables under railway lines or local council permission to route through parks.
