The Guardian - Energy
Queensland and NT reject Labor’s push to ensure that power-hungry AI datacentres use renewable energy 29 July 2026 at 04:19

Queensland and NT reject Labor’s push to ensure that power-hungry AI datacentres use renewable energy

29 July 2026 at 04:19

Federal-state stoush comes as rating agency warns that electricity bills could skyrocket

Queensland and the Northern Territory have rejected the federal government’s plans to mandate that AI datacentres use renewable power, rubbishing Anthony Albanese’s proposals to regulate the booming technology as “underdeveloped ideas that hand increased power to Canberra”.

The latest federal-state stoush on energy comes as S&P Global, the economic rating agency, warns that power use from datacentres could rise five-fold by 2035 to 10% of Australia’s total consumption, and that a mismatch between delivery timelines for datacentres and renewable projects could lead to energy bills skyrocketing.

‘Not up for grabs’: Albanese establishes AI office and vows to protect Australian creatives from copyright ‘theft’

The Guardian - Technology

By: Josh Butler · Luca Ittimani and Tom McIlroy

15 July 2026 at 07:18

PM lays out plan for datacentre development and rejects prospect tech companies will be given free use of Australian data

Anthony Albanese has promised “the strongest possible protection” for Australian creatives against misuse of their work by artificial intelligence models, warning it would be “theft” if writers, artists and musicians didn’t have control of their work or receive payment for its use.

Amid growing community concern about large energy-intensive datacentres, the federal government will also set strict new rules for the facilities, including where they can be built, that they shouldn’t compete for land with housing, their power and water use, and that they don’t increase electricity prices for consumers.

The Guardian - Technology
AI companies want to water down Australia’s copyright laws. Artists are outraged, Labor is split 11 July 2026 at 21:00

AI companies want to water down Australia’s copyright laws. Artists are outraged, Labor is split

The Guardian - Technology

By: Dan Jervis-Bardy and Josh Butler

11 July 2026 at 21:00

Anthony Albanese will deliver a landmark speech on AI this week as MPs are torn between attracting datacentre investment and protecting the rights of creatives

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When Anna Funder stood before a pack of journalists at Parliament House this month, she presented herself not just as a writer but also a “victim of crime”.

The Stasiland author was using the analogy to illustrate how technology companies have flagrantly “hoovered up” her literary works for their own profit.

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