🔵 Jerry, Jeff & Larry

HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🤝 The video call that changed the future for North Shore data centres

On Tuesday, energy ministers from around Australia joined a video call that may change the landscape for future data centres on the North Shore.

On the agenda was advice from the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) on whether it was feasible to force data centres to use 100 percent renewable energy.

The answer? Yes.

In that meeting, all federal, state and territory energy ministers — bar Queensland and the Northern Territory, which declined to participate — agreed they would put into legislation a requirement for data centres to build enough renewable energy to cover the power they need to operate.

Now we wait: Energy analyst Tristan Edis suspects it will take at least 12 months before these changes are implemented at the state level.

Earlier this month, PM Anthony Albanese said he would introduce legislation to parliament “early next year”.

Data centre development in Australia — including electricity requirements — is typically managed at the state level. However, UNSW energy researcher Dylan McConnell said mandates on the use of renewable energy can be enforced at the federal level.

Albanese has specified federal laws would impact the “next generation of large-scale data centres”.

Given new legislation will not be retrospective, McConnell anticipates data centre companies may face “some pressure to do things faster, to get ahead of any requirements”.

“They’re already going at breakneck speeds,” he said.

Details: Edis and McConnell are concerned the final legislation may contain loopholes that allow data centre operators to avoid having to build their own renewables energy source.

Sunshine State: Queensland has said it will not implement new legislation, part of a broader Crisafulli government push against renewables. Since being elected in 2024, it has scrapped renewable energy targets, emissions reporting and announced plans to extend the life of coal-fired power plants.

Will this undermine the legislation passed in NSW? Edis believes it’s unlikely.

McConnell agreed, saying “no-one is really talking about building a lot of data centres [in Queensland]”.

Latency — the time it takes for data to pass from one point on a network to another — is a key factor for where data centres are built. Most centres want physical proximity to the companies they service, and as such, major cities like Sydney and Melbourne are desirable locations.

Read the full story below.

🎭️ As Marian Street Theatre sits abandoned, protesters seek $30 million lifeline

Thespians and theatregoers gathered in Gordon on Sunday, protesting outside Ku-ring-gai Council chambers in a last ditch effort to save Killara’s Marian Street Theatre.

What happened: For over a decade, the fate of the once humming theatre has hung in the balance. In 2013, Ku-ring-gai Council, which owns the property, deemed the building was no longer compliant with the Australian Building Code, and closed its doors.

Council resolved to renovate the theatre in 2018, and received approval for a development application in 2021. But the project lacked funding, and work never started.

This August, that DA is set to expire. At its June meeting, Ku-ring-gai Council voted 7-3 to allow it to lapse, claiming that it had no funding to pursue the project, estimated to cost $30.3 million dollars.

Those protesting on Sunday called on council to reverse that decision.

Davidson MP Matt Cross spoke at Sunday’s rally, while Bradfield MP Nicolette Boele has backed the theatre’s revival in federal parliament.

Councillors are divided on the matter. Many are reluctant to sink ratepayer money into a major infrastructure project. A minority see the project as a vital investment into the arts, and believe the DA should be maintained while potential funding sources are sought.

History: Through the 1970s and 1980s, Marian Street Theatre operated as a cultural hub under the direction of Peter Collingwood and John Krummel, allowing North Shore locals to see live theatre productions only a few train stops away.

Through the years, it hosted scores of well-known Australian actors such as Leonard Teale, Helen Morse and Ruth Cracknell.

Jessica Ashby, chair of the campaign, told the Lorikeet that despite this golden age being long gone, the theatre still had value to the community.

“Yes, it had its heyday,” she told the Lorikeet. “But it also continued for quite a long time [after this], and has inspired a lot of young people.”

Ashby expressed confidence in the theatre’s business case, pointing to Glenn Street Theatre in Belrose as an example of a successful venue in a suburban location. She conceded that like other theatre spaces, it would rely on council funding, but saw this as a worthy investment.

Read the full story below.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

🦈 Some politicians want a shark cull – researchers say that misses the point

A string of fatal shark attacks this year have lead to some politicians calling for culls.

Marine biologists say the science doesn't support it.

The National Account's Archie Milligan has the rundown: