Australia’s GDP figures are meaningless when the boom in datacentres means destroying jobs and the climate | Greg Jericho
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- Australia's economy grew 0.3% in the March quarter, contributing to an annual growth rate of 2.5%.
- Private investment in machinery and equipment, dominated by the information technology and communications sector (datacentres), was the largest driver of that quarterly growth.
- Net trade was negative in March, with imports—many of them datacentre equipment—exceeding exports.
- Climate Council warns that datacentre electricity consumption could rise from 2% of national use today to 6% by 2030 and 12% by 2050, threatening climate targets.
- Quarterly greenhouse‑gas emissions data show that reductions in electricity emissions are the primary source of any overall emission decline.
Why it matters: Investors in datacentre projects gain from the surge, while Australian workers miss out on jobs and the nation risks higher power prices and missed emission‑reduction targets.
