Hundreds of protesters gathered on the steps of South Australia's Parliament on Sunday to call for Quantum DC to stop its plans for a 1,200-megawatt AI data centre at Tungkillo in the Adelaide Hills, after the company announced a pause on the development earlier this week.
At least 250 people rallied on the steps of Parliament, supported by the SA Liberals, Greens, One Nation and independent federal MP Rebekha Sharkie. The protest follows Quantum DC's announcement earlier this week that it would pause its plans, after frustration, anger and protests from the surrounding community.
Campaign organiser Magdalene Lippett said the community was hopeful it had won the fight. “There has been a pause, but a pause isn't a stop. We want this thing stopped,” she said.
Local farmer Kym Gladigau said the proposed site was prime agricultural land. “The Adelaide Hills is a food production area, that's what it's all about,” he said. “We're losing farmland at Mt Barker, we've lost it at Virginia. The risk with this data centre, is that we lose that.” Mr Gladigau also raised concerns about bushfire risk, saying: “If this thing goes wrong … we cannot afford another big bushfire in the Adelaide Hills, and who is going to tackle it?”
Liberal leader Ashton Hurn, who spoke at the rally, agreed the area should be reserved for farming. “We've got a very finite amount of prime agricultural land in South Australia … we have to fight as best we can to protect our farmers and our agricultural land,” she said. “We keep hearing that data centres are a part of our future, there are of course economic opportunities, but we also need to make sure the community is brought along for the ride as well.”
Greens leader Robert Simms said he wanted to see the plans rejected if they reached the government. “That's why Greens are moving a motion calling on the government to reject this proposal,” he said. “We're also calling for a statewide moratorium on data centres. We don't want to see South Australia become the test dummy for the nation.”
Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said he was “very disappointed” with Quantum DC's approach to community engagement. “I mean, they have behaved in a way that has really lit this fire,” he said. The minister said the developers had not approached the government about the plans. “I'm the energy minister and the treasurer. They've never spoken to me, and you would've thought the first door you'd knock on is the government's,” he said. Mr Koutsantonis said the government was working on legislation to “comprehensively deal with the roll-out of data centres”. He added: “Data centres have got to have almost no impact on the grid for them to operate in South Australia, and until that time is achieved, we won't license them.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The protest highlights growing community opposition to large-scale data centre developments in agricultural areas, which could set a precedent for how such projects are approved in South Australia.
- The outcome may affect the state's ability to attract data centre investment, which the government sees as essential for digital infrastructure and economic growth.
- A statewide moratorium on data centres has been proposed, which could stall other projects across South Australia.
Background
Quantum DC announced a pause on its plans for a 1,200-megawatt AI data centre at Tungkillo earlier in the week, following community frustration and protests. The company had not engaged with the state government before announcing the plans, according to Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis.
Key Perspectives
Magdalene Lippett (campaign organiser): The community wants the development permanently stopped, not just paused.
Kym Gladigau (local farmer): The site is prime agricultural land and poses a bushfire risk.
Ashton Hurn (SA Liberal leader): Prime agricultural land should be protected, and the community must be included in the process.
Robert Simms (Greens leader): The proposal should be rejected and a statewide moratorium on data centres should be introduced.
Tom Koutsantonis (Energy Minister): Quantum DC's community engagement was poor; the government will legislate to ensure data centres have minimal grid impact before licensing them.
What to Watch
- Quantum DC's next move: whether it revises or abandons the Tungkillo proposal.
- The state government's data centre legislation, which Mr Koutsantonis said is being developed.
- The Greens' motion in parliament calling for the proposal to be rejected and a moratorium imposed.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says protesters urged a halt to the Adelaide Hills data centre plans.Just In: “Hundreds of protesters have doubled down on their message to data centre company Quantum DC that its plans for a 1,200-megawatt AI data centre are not welcome in the Adelaide Hills.”
- SupportedThe summary says hundreds rallied at Parliament and community members, politicians and the minister weighed in on the proposal.Just In: “At least 250 people rallied on the South Australian steps of parliament on Sunday, with various political parties including the SA Liberals, Greens, One Nation and independent federal MP Rebekha Sharkie in support of the protest group.”
- SupportedHundreds gathered at South Australia's Parliament on Sunday to call for Quantum DC to stop its 1,200-megawatt AI data centre plan at Tungkillo in the Adelaide Hills.Just In: “At least 250 people rallied on the South Australian steps of parliament on Sunday”
- SupportedQuantum DC announced earlier that week it would pause the Tungkillo development after frustration, anger and protests from the surrounding community.Just In: “It comes after the company announced it would pause its plans for the development at Tungkillo earlier this week, after deep frustration, anger and protests from the surrounding community.”
- SupportedMagdalene Lippett said: “There has been a pause, but a pause isn't a stop. We want this thing stopped,”Just In: “"There has been a pause, but a pause isn't a stop. We want this thing stopped," she said.”
- SupportedKym Gladigau said: “The Adelaide Hills is a food production area, that's what it's all about,”Just In: “"The Adelaide Hills is a food production area, that's what it's all about," Mr Gladigau said.”
- SupportedGladigau said: “We're losing farmland at Mt Barker, we've lost it at Virginia. The risk with this data centre, is that we lose that.”Just In: “"We're losing farmland at Mt Barker, we've lost it at Virginia. "The risk with this data centre, is that we lose that.”
- SupportedAshton Hurn said South Australia had a finite amount of prime agricultural land and people should fight to protect farmers and agricultural land.Just In: “"We've got a very finite amount of prime agricultural land in South Australia … we have to fight as best we can to protect our farmers and our agricultural land," Ms Hurn said.”
- SupportedRobert Simms said the Greens were moving a motion calling on the government to reject the proposal and were calling for a statewide moratorium on data centres.Just In: “"That's why Greens are moving a motion calling on the government to reject this proposal," he said. "We're also calling for a statewide moratorium on data centres.”
- SupportedTom Koutsantonis said Quantum DC had “behaved in a way that has really lit this fire”.Just In: “"I mean, they have behaved in a way that has really lit this fire," he said.”
- SupportedKoutsantonis said the developers had not approached the government about the plans.Just In: “Mr Koutsantonis said the developers had not approached government at all about the plans.”
- SupportedKoutsantonis said the government was working on legislation to deal comprehensively with data centre rollout, and that data centres would need to have almost no impact on the grid before they could be licensed in South Australia.Just In: “"Data centres have got to have almost no impact on the grid for them to operate in South Australia, and until that time is achieved, we won't license them."”