The peak body for Australia's data centre industry says its members are still working out how to get community consultation right, after several AI companies dropped or paused centre plans. Data Centres Australia CEO Belinda Dennett said communities want early engagement but also detailed answers that are often unavailable early on, including on design, energy source and water use.

In a report published on 12 November 2026, ABC News said Quantum DC announced it would pause plans for a 1200-megawatt AI data centre at Tungkillo in the Adelaide Hills after community opposition. Another proposed AI centre on Sydney's Cooks River was reportedly scrapped the previous weekend, part of a series of abandoned NSW proposals. Data Centres Australia does not represent Quantum DC.

Political parties including the Liberals, One Nation and the Greens welcomed the Tungkillo pause, with the Greens calling for a moratorium. South Australia's AI minister, Chris Picton, said the case showed why the government wants legislation to regulate issues including energy, water and land use. Opposition leader Ashton Hurn said data centres should be included in the state's AI royal commission. The Greens, One Nation and the Liberals combined in the upper house to establish a parliamentary inquiry into data centres, which Labor did not support. One Nation's Cory Bernardi said the party wanted a pause until the inquiry concludes, while noting data centres are not inherently bad.