Introduction
Resources gathered by The Commons librarians to support local communities organising and campaigning against AI Data Centres. It was initially put together to inform participants at the Community Summit in Naarm/Melbourne on 5 September 2026.
It can be daunting to go up against entrenched government and corporate power – but people power can prevail!
Here in Australia we can learn from the history of community activism in this country, as well as struggles and innovations overseas. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We can learn together and share lessons as campaigns evolve.
This guide is a work in progress. It builds on our international resource, How to Stop a Data Centre: Tools for Community Resistance. We welcome feedback and suggestions for inclusion: Contact us.
What do people need to know to stop Data Centres?
From past experience and the expressed needs of people involved in these fights, we believe the following areas of knowledge and skills are crucial.
- Know about Data Centres
- Know about the specific Data Centre project you want to stop
- Engage the Community
- Organise Locally
- Plan a Strategic Campaign
- Tell the Story
- Take Action
- Reflect and Adapt
- Collaborate Across the Movement
We have gathered resources under each of these headings, as well as some upcoming training opportunities. Help fill the gaps with your own guides and events!
1 Know About Data Centres
- What they are
- Harms they cause
- Clear talking points
Resources
- Greenpeace Energy Vampires report
- Data Centre FAQ, Data Centre Moratorium Wiki
- Other Australian reports and submissions
- Toolkits from other countries
- Podcast and Video: Ketan Joshi on Data Centres and Energy
- Video: Data Centre Boom – We Pay, They Profit, Get Up and Friends of the Earth
- Video Series: North Star Data Centre Policy in Practice Training Series (USA)
Training
- AI Data Centres: Exploring the Buildings Behind the AI Boom – 17 September 2026 at The Capitol, 113 Swanston St, Melbourne
2 Know about the specific Data Centre project you want to stop
- Location and size
- Who owns the land
- Who’s doing the development
- Who is investing and who will profit
- Relevant laws and policies
- Potential harms
- Potential alternative landuses
Resources
- Map: Australia’s data centre hotspots by electorates – NB this does not include projects in the development pipeline
- RenewMap of data centres – NB includes projects still in development but a subscription is required
- Data Centres in Victoria
- Current data centre policies and processes for planning and approvals:
- Federal
- Australian data centre policy state by state
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria – also see Data Centre Policy in Victoria
- Tasmania – Draft expectations open for feedback until 12 October 2026
- Other states coming soon.
Training
- Target Research – Commons Library & Australian Progress, 9 March 2027
3 Engage the Community
- Sound the alarm through posters, fliers, social media, stalls and meetings
- Awareness raising forums
- One-to-one conversations
- Outreach to different groups
- Use elections as opportunities to get attention on the issue
Resources
- Community Mapping
- Spectrum of Allies
- Training as Organising: Events that Build Campaign Engagement
- Persuasive Conversations Campaign Guide
- Election Campaign Skills
4 Organise Locally
- Build an action group
- Recruit, orient and activate people
- Have systems and roles for tracking new members and inviting them to take action
- Train people in the skills needed
- Run actions and debrief
- Step people up
Resources
- How to Start an Action Group
- Plugging People In
- Circles of Commitment
- Structuring Teams
- Tips for Better Meetings
- US Site Fight Guide: How to Organise Your Community and Tips from Organisers
Training
- How to Build a Team – Marshall Ganz, free online self-paced course you can take at any time
5 Plan a Strategic Campaign
- Develop campaign strategy
- Identify targets, allies and opponents
- Define goals and objectives
- Choose tactics
- Identify political opportunity
- Prepare for surveillance, policing, media attacks, and other anti-protest tactics by government and corporations
Resources
- Campaign Planning Template
- The Tactic Star
- Power Mapping
- Staying Safe: Protective Strategies for Activists, Melbourne Activist Legal Service
- Digital Security
Training
- Introduction to Campaigning Workshop – Australian Progress, 14-15 October
- Creative Action Design – Commons Library & Australian Progress, 19 October
6 Tell the Story
- Get clear on values and messages
- Develop spokespeople
- Decide on communications channels
- Set up social media accounts
- Develop and share content
Resources
- Communications & Media: Start Here
- Who What How: Narrative Strategy for Issue Campaigns
- The Power of Story: The Story of Self, Us and Now
Training
- Messaging 101 – Australian Progress, 13 Oct (repeated on 18/11, 10/3, 22/6)
- Free Media Spokesperson Training for Economic Justice Advocates – Economic Media Centre, 10 & 11 November
- Video for Social Change Masterclass – Chop Chop and Australian Progress, 17 & 18 November
- Public Narrative – Marshall Ganz, free online self-paced course you can take at any time
7 Take Action
Run tactics to:
- Engage people and build the group
- Persuade people to support your position and take action
- Pressure powerholders
- Spread your narrative
Resources
- Tactics topic on The Commons Library
- The Tactic Star
- Protests: Start Here
- Nonviolent Direct Action: Start Here
- Lobbying & Advocacy: Start Here
Training
- Creative Action Design – Commons Library & Australian Progress, 19 October
8 Reflect and Adapt
- Build in times for review, especially after actions
- Adjust strategy based on new information and shifting landscape
- Share lessons from your group with other data centre fights
Resources
9 Collaborate Across the Movement
- Identify state and federal policies to reform
- Build a coalition
- Agree on priorities
- Develop shared brand and messaging
- Share innovation and lessons in real time
Resources
Demand a Moratorium
- Data Centre Moratorium Wiki
- Moratorium on all data centre developments now – Friends of the Earth petition
- Demand a National Moratorium on Data Centres – 350 Australia petition
- Stop the Data Drain – GetUp! petition
Download PDF
Feel free to print this flyer and share in your networks. It includes a QR code that links to this page.
Explore Further
- How to Stop a Data Centre: Tools for Community Resistance – our international round up of toolkits, maps, videos, research and submissions
- Note from the ‘burbs: the Embryonic Stages of the Mass Movement Against AI data centres in Australia
- New to Activism, Organising and Campaigning? Start Here!
Responding to other AI harms:
- 10 reasons to resist AI, Waging Nonviolence
- Which AI harms & risks will mobilise the public to act?, Social Change Lab (UK)
- AI Harms Register, Digital Rights Watch (Australia)
- Submission to the United Nations on the Impact of Digital and AI-Assisted Surveillance on the Rights to Freedom of Assembly and Association, Digital Rights Watch (Australia)
- Publications about Algorithmic Decision Making, AlgorithmWatch (Europe)
- How workers can fight the wave of AI layoffs, World Socialist Web Site
- The high road, the low road – which approach to AI at work?, Centre for Future Work
- The AI Resist List
