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Experts say Australia will have to invest in new electricity generation to keep up with the demand from data centres. The Australian Energy Market Operator says data centres are expected to draw as much power from the grid by 2036, as all homes in Victoria and New South Wales do today. There are 165 data centres already consuming about 3 per cent of electricity supplied to all jurisdictions except WA and the NT. It comes as the Prime Minister will seek agreement on proposed national standards for new AI data centres at national cabinet tomorrow. Queensland's premier has confirmed repeat offenders who commit serious crimes while on bail will face a minimum mandatory sentence of 12-months behind bars. David Crisafulli says the hardened laws - set to be introduced to parliament this week - will apply to both youths and adults. He says the legislation will be the toughest in the nation. And, Doctors are renewing calls for stronger action on AI deepfakes - especially when it comes to health messaging. Some health professionals have seen their appearance and voice impersonated with AI tools which is misleading patients. Australian Medical Association president Julian Rait says they've written to the Prime Minister seeking greater protections. For more news at any time you can follow the ABC News Top Stories podcast.

Summary

This report highlights the Australian Prime Minister's move to establish national standards for AI data centres, addressing the significant energy demands expected to rival residential power consumption by 2036. The Australian Medical Association is simultaneously advocating for urgent regulatory action against AI deepfakes used in fraudulent health messaging, highlighting immediate societal harms from synthetic media. These developments reflect Australia's evolving governance framework as it grapples with both the physical infrastructure needs of frontier AI and the deceptive capabilities of generative models. The article underscores a shift toward national cabinet coordination on AI risks, though it focuses more on infrastructure and misinformation than catastrophic existential threats.

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