We'd like to invite you to an afternoon strategy session for Queensland community, environment and civil society groups. It's on straight after the SEQCA Community Conference.

Saturday 31 October, 1pm–3.30pm
Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, South Bank [room TBC]
If you're at the conference in the morning, just stay on after lunch.

Why now

Each law the State Government passes can look technical when you read it on its own. Put them side by side and a pattern shows up: big business first, community last.

The emerging threat: AI and data centres. Giant data centres are arriving in regional Queensland before Australia has any enforceable rules on AI. The proposed Western Downs Digital Park at Kogan could use around a quarter of Queensland's average daily electricity. Communities are being asked to carry the risks of a technology that is moving faster than the rules meant to protect us. The state government has removed approval powers from local governments and jobs are being advertised before the project is even publically consulted on. AI is an existential threat if not regulated safely and there is a growing movement calling for a AI and Data Centre moratorium internationally.

The existing threat: fast-tracking development and shutting communities out. The Critical Minerals Act passed in August. It expands fast-track powers and allows compulsory acquisition of land for private projects. Now a new Bill would limit mining objections to people within 125km. It would also let the Minister decide which objections get heard in the Land Court at all. On top of that, call-ins and planning interventions keep closing the door on local voices. Step by step, communities are losing the say before a decision, the right to challenge it afterwards, and the independent umpire.

These are two versions of one problem. Power is moving into fewer hands, and community voices are being treated as a delay.

What the afternoon is for

This is the first part of a longer conversation. It isn't a pitch for a campaign that's already been decided. Together we'll:

Share how our different organisations read the political moment in Queensland, especially the loss of community objection rights and the proposed data centres
Look at where we could work together
Map what we need to learn, discuss and work through so we can act together

Questions we'll work through

How can we build a broad, grassroots movement around AI and Data centres and connect it to the loss of truth, trust and the erosion of our democracy and community objection rights?

How closely are these issues linked, and how do we connect them without losing anyone?

We'll finish by gathering your steers on next steps and on ways to collaborate. These will feed into the next meeting in late November. There we'll bring in groups who couldn't make it on the 31st and start shaping scope, structure, resourcing and roles.

Please pass this on to anyone you think should be in the room. We especially want farmers, residents' groups, unions, faith communities and local leaders, as well as the environment movement.

*If you are keen to get involved in Pause AI Brisbane, they will also be having a group development workshop on in the morning that you can RSVP for here: https://events.humanitix.com/ai-protest-group-building

This event will be following the SEQ Community Alliance forum running in the morning prior at the same

location and we thank the SEQ Community Alliance for sharing the venue.

Contact the host of Who Gets a Say in Queensland? An strategy discussion on AI and data centres

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