Listen closely to Resources Minister Madeleine King on ABC Alice Springs this week, where she was presenting at the Developing Northern Australia Conference, and you can hear Australia’s climate policy in development.
Asked about the Northern Territory’s gas reservation carve-out, what came back was a masterclass in how gas expansion with offsets and AI data centre expansion have become intertwined.
The Minister was honest about one thing. Asked whether renewables alone could power the data centre boom, she said any renewables used “will need to be supported by gas right around the country.”
Two days later, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen stood at the National Press Club and delivered the polished version of the same message.
The headline was firm: the federal government will override any state or territory that opposes new national rules on data centres, with Commonwealth legislation forcing new AI data centres to run on renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.
