If you oppose data centres, you've fallen for Chinese propaganda.
Water is not a serious problem. These are closed loop systems. No water is "wasted." If water is still the concern, we can desalinate ocean water. Desalination plants create jobs.
We can power data centres with nuclear. That means thousands of jobs (500–800 per facility on average), more work in mining, and, if we execute it properly, lower energy costs for Australians. We have to get over the fear of nuclear and unban it.
Data centres employ 50–200 people per facility.
We have the land and the investor mandate to see it through. This will make Australians billions. Especially if we update the tax code so large organisations cannot pay 1% tax on profits made here. See Apple.
AI is curing cancer. Literally. It is improving efficiency across almost every sector. It is not going away. Are there problems? Yes. That is not a reason to oppose its expansion in its entirety. Do that, and you hand the future of AI to China.
We have to think about the second and third order consequences of industries like this.