To the Australian Government and Members of Parliament:

 

We, the undersigned, call on the Australian Government to immediately halt the approval of foreign-owned AI data centre developments until comprehensive, independent environmental and national security assessments are conducted.

 

The Problem

 

Australia is becoming one of the world's fastest-growing destinations for foreign-owned AI infrastructure. American tech giants including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, are investing tens of billions of dollars to build massive data centre campuses across Melbourne, Sydney, and beyond.

 

While this is framed as economic opportunity, Australians are not being told the full story.

 

The Environmental Cost

 

AI data centers are among the most resource-intensive structures ever built. They consume extraordinary amounts of electricity and water; resources that are already under pressure in one of the world's driest continents.

 

- Australia's water crisis is worsening every year due to climate change

- Our energy grid is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels

- Native ecosystems surrounding development sites face destruction

- Heat generated by data centers contributes to urban warming

- Electronic waste from server infrastructure is largely unregulated

 

We cannot afford to sacrifice our land, water, and climate for the profit of foreign corporations.

 

The Sovereignty Problem

 

Even when data centers are built on Australian soil, foreign ownership means Australian data; including government, health, and personal data; remains subject to foreign laws. The United States can legally compel its companies to hand over data regardless of where it is physically stored.

 

This is not sovereignty. This is an illusion of security.

 

Australia currently has no AI-specific legislation. No mandatory guardrails. No independent regulator. We are one of the least protected developed nations in the world when it comes to AI oversight. Foreign companies are taking full advantage of that gap.

 

The Human Cost

 

AI is already displacing Australian workers across creative industries, customer service, journalism, education, and more. Without regulation, this will accelerate. The profits flow overseas. The disruption stays here.

 

What We Are Demanding

 

1. An immediate moratorium on foreign-owned AI data center approvals until independent environmental impact assessments are completed

 

2. Mandatory water and energy consumption limits for all data center developments

 

3. Comprehensive AI legislation introduced to Parliament before the end of August 2025

 

4. A sovereign Australian AI strategy that prioritizes Australian-owned infrastructure

 

5. Full transparency about what data is stored, by whom, and under whose legal jurisdiction

 

6. A national public inquiry into the environmental, economic, and security impacts of foreign AI investment in Australia

 

The Bottom Line

 

Australia's land, water, and data belong to Australians. We did not vote for this infrastructure. We were not consulted. And we are not willing to bear the environmental and security costs of decisions made by foreign billionaires and rubber-stamped by a government with no legislative framework to protect us.

 

We demand better. Australia deserves better.

 

Sign this petition and share it widely. The time to act is now.