Key facts
- Victorian Jobs Minister Melissa Horne rejected NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie's request for support on a datacentre expansion.
- Horne alleged Scroggie used AI to write his letter, citing factual errors.
- NextDC seeks to expand its M3 datacentre in Footscray, drawing 225MW of power.
- Local residents have complained about the datacentre's size and proximity to homes.
- The expansion is being assessed by the planning minister and is eligible for fast-tracked approval.
- Labor MP Katie Hall opposes the expansion due to its proximity to homes and potential reliance on diesel generators.
Victorian Jobs Minister Melissa Horne has rejected a request from NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie to lobby for the expansion of the company's controversial M3 datacentre in Footscray. Horne accused Scroggie of using artificial intelligence to draft his letter, citing what she alleged were basic factual errors and stating she did not wish to lend her support to the application.
NextDC, one of Australia's largest datacentre companies, is seeking fast-tracked approval from the state government to expand its Footscray facility to cover 10 hectares and draw 225MW of power. The expansion has drawn significant opposition from local residents due to the datacentre's size and its proximity to residential homes, with some properties located just 15 metres from the boundary.
Labor MP Katie Hall, whose electorate includes the datacentre, has been a vocal opponent of the expansion. She has raised concerns with the planning minister and the state's AI minister about the site's location near homes, a kindergarten, and health services, as well as the datacentre's reliance on diesel generators during power outages. Hall's electorate office published Horne's letter to Scroggie.
Scroggie had previously described the M3 site's expansion as "stunning" and "Australia's largest hyperscale AI factory purpose-built for the new AI era of accelerated computing." Large datacentres in Victoria are eligible for fast-tracked planning approval, and decisions made by the planning minister cannot be appealed.