Australians risk paying the price for the artificial intelligence boom unless the federal government taxes data centres, independent senator David Pocock warns.
After leading calls to impose a 25 per cent tax on gas exports ahead of the May budget, Senator Pocock has turned his attention to AI.
He's flagged concerns about the government's handling of the technology, saying Australians deserve a fair return if multinational tech giants are going to use the nation's land, energy, water and infrastructure.
It comes after Australia attracted the second-highest data centre investment globally in 2025.
But the independent senator is also questioning why Australia needs to become an AI investment hub at all, pointing out the impact it has on water usage, electricity and the potential job losses for thousands of workers.
