The Victorian jobs minister, Melissa Horne, has accused NextDC, one of Australia's largest datacentre operators, of using artificial intelligence to draft a letter she received, which she claimed contained basic factual errors. The letter was part of a request from NextDC’s CEO, Craig Scroggie, asking Horne to support a major expansion of the company’s Footscray datacentre, known as M3. The expansion would increase the site’s size to 10 hectares, consume 225 megawatts of power, and operate continuously. The project has sparked community concerns due to its size and proximity to residential areas. The M3 datacentre is located in an industrial zone in Footscray, but some homes are as close as 15 meters to its boundary. Residents have raised complaints about the rapid approval of such developments, arguing that long-term community impacts have been overlooked. Earlier this month, Scroggie took an unusual step by directly emailing Horne, urging her to support the expansion. However, Horne, who is aligned with Premier Ben Carroll, responded firmly against the proposal, stating she would not lend her support to the application. NextDC has hired Ken McAlpine, a former government adviser, to lobby the state government on the expansion. The letter from Horne to Scroggie was released by Labor MP Katie Hall, whose electoral area includes the Footscray site. Hall has long opposed the expansion and has raised concerns with the state’s AI minister, Anthony Carbines, about the potential effects of the datacentre and its planned growth. Hall highlighted the site’s proximity to over 800 homes, a kindergarten, healthcare services, and a local creek, as well as reliance on diesel generators during power outages. In a recent LinkedIn post, Scroggie described the expansion of M3 as “stunning,” emphasizing its role in building Australia’s digital future through “speed, scale, sovereign, sustainable & secure” infrastructure. However, the expansion remains under review by the planning minister, whose decision cannot be appealed. This case highlights the tension between economic development and community concerns, as well as the increasing role of datacentres in Australia’s tech landscape.