澳大利亚西澳珀斯的斯特林市议会将于周二夜间审议一项议案，拟将数据中心重新分类为"禁止用途"，这可能使该市成为全国首个全面禁止数据中心的地方政府[1]。议员苏珊娜·米格代尔提出的这项议案指出，数据中心面临的主要问题包括高能耗、大量用水和噪音污染，这些特性与住宅区的环保要求难以协调[1]。
西澳地区对数据中心的反对声浪不断高涨。截至目前，西澳共有15个数据中心，其中13个位于珀斯都市区[1]。今年5月，绿方数据公司在面临社区强烈反对后撤回了一项价值6亿澳元的数据中心项目，该项目共收到1890份意见，其中1829份表示反对[1]。与此同时，墨尔本泽拉数据中心提议的一个11亿澳元园区项目预计将消耗336兆瓦电力[1]。鉴于这些发展，澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯在7月宣布将为大型人工智能数据中心引入专门立法[1]。
Sterling City Council in Perth is set to consider a proposal on Tuesday evening that would reclassify data centres as a "prohibited use," potentially making it the first local government in Australia to implement a comprehensive ban on such facilities [1]. The motion, brought forward by councillor Susanna Migdell, highlights concerns that data centres consume substantial amounts of energy and water while generating noise pollution, making them difficult to reconcile with residential area environmental standards [1].
The push for the ban comes amid growing community resistance to data centre developments across Western Australia [1]. In May, Green Data withdrew a proposed A$600 million data centre project after community opposition, with 1,829 of 1,890 submissions opposing the development [1]. The state currently hosts 15 data centres, with 13 located in the Perth metropolitan area [1]. A proposed A$1.1 billion data centre precinct in Melbourne's Zella area would consume 336 megawatts of electricity [1]. At the national level, Prime Minister Albanese revealed in July that legislation would be introduced to govern large-scale artificial intelligence data centres [1].