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Key events

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Choosing electricity energy plan to be made 'as easy as buying a pint of milk'

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Victorian opposition plans to hit premier with no-confidence motion

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Amazon datacentre first in Victoria to use recycled water for cooling

2h ago

Anti-abortion bill blocked in South Australia

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Nonstop Sydney-London flights delayed again

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Choosing electricity energy plan to be made 'as easy as buying a pint of milk'

Petra Stock

Australia’s energy market rule maker wants to simplify electricity pricing, so that it’s more like buying milk at the supermarket - with one simple shelf price, rather than itemised bills for the cow, the carton and the cost of transport.

In the final recommendations of its two-year review into electricity pricing, the Australian Energy Market Commission advocated for straightforward energy plans that are easier for customers to understand and compare.

AEMC chair Anna Collyer said:

double quotation mark Electricity pricing has become too complex, too hard to compare, and too often unfair. You shouldn’t need to be an energy expert to get a fair deal, and long-standing customers should not pay more than someone who just walked in the door.

Victorian opposition plans to hit premier with no-confidence motion

Benita Kolovos

The Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson , will give notice to parliament today that she plans to move a motion of no confidence in the premier, Jacinta Allan , when parliament resumes after the winter break.

Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Under the state constitution, the opposition can move a single motion of no confidence in the premier each four-year term. The last time this occurred was in October 2020, against then-premier, Daniel Andrews , during the grips of the pandemic.

If the motion is successful, it could lead to the dissolution of the parliament. But given Labor’s commanding majority, this will not occur. Instead, with just months remaining until the November state election, it will give Wilson and her team the floor of the chamber for an entire sitting day, allowing them to outline their case for change.

Wilson’s statement indicates the likely themes of her speech, which she will likely deliver on 28 July. She said:

double quotation mark Victoria needs a fresh start and that begins with changing the government and changing the premier. It’s time for a new government with the right priorities and a clear plan to deliver for Victorians. My Liberal and Nationals team has a plan to ease cost-of-living pressures, grow our economy, end the crime crisis and restore hope and prosperity to Victoria.

Petra Stock

Datacentres in Australia consuming more than four times Melbourne’s drinking water annually

Datacentres in Australia currently consume about 5.5 gigalitres of water annually, according to an industry-commissioned report – that’s more than four times Melbourne’s drinking water. In the case of AWS, the company used 207m litres in Sydney and 158m litres in Melbourne last year.

Rourke said Melbourne datacentres owned by AWS did not require water for cooling for 96% of the year, mainly relying on outside air to cool its servers. However, during the hotter summer months, water was used in evaporative cooling systems to remove heat from servers.

Cameron Fitzgerald , the managing director of Greater Western Water, said recycled water was a growing opportunity. “As Melton grows, we have more water available, because we treat more sewage.”

Cameron Steele, a spokesperson for the Concerned Waterways Alliance, a network of Victorian community and environment groups, said more transparency from the industry was needed. “Datacentres are going into already highly stressed systems”, with the condition of waterways across Victoria in decline .

Amazon datacentre first in Victoria to use recycled water for cooling

Petra Stock

Amazon Web Services said one of its datacentres in western Melbourne will be the first in Victoria to use recycled water for cooling.

Treated water from the Melton sewage plant would be supplied directly to the AWS datacentre via a pipeline, with construction commencing next year.

Matt O’Rourke , the head of infrastructure and energy at AWS Australia and New Zealand, said this would help preserve millions of litres of drinking water annually for local communities.

double quotation mark Connecting a datacentre to recycled water from day one of operations is a significant first for Victoria, and AWS in Australia.

Globally the company has 26 datacentres connected to recycled water, he said.

The announcement follows the federal government’s national expectations for the industry, requiring that datacentres use non-potable water “where possible”, and report transparently on water use and efficiency.

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