They underpin cloud computing, banking, telecommunications, government services, healthcare, research, business systems and, increasingly, artificial intelligence. They will also be important to Australia’s sovereign digital capability. Australia cannot sensibly depend entirely on computing infrastructure located overseas. So, the question is no longer whether Australia should build data centres.

AI is not inherently more truthful than people, but neither is human authorship a guarantee of truth. The most trustworthy source is the one that supplies evidence, acknowledges uncertainty and corrects its mistakes.

On 15 July 2026, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered a major speech titled “AI in Australia’s Interests” at the University of Sydney. His central argument was that Australia cannot stop AI-driven change, but it can influence how AI is developed, where its infrastructure is built, who benefits from it and what protections apply.