The age of Artificial Intelligence is upon us. 

It’s our generation’s industrial revolution.  

AI is transforming industries, supporting healthcare professionals and automating business operations.  

The potential of AI is all but limitless which makes it critical for both Western Australia and the nation to approach this new era with vision, knowledge and strategy.  

WA has always been the economic powerhouse of Australia. Built on the strength of our world-class resources sector. But as Mike Henry from BHP noted last month, iron ore only makes up about 50% of their business. It’s becoming increasingly evident that relying solely on the golden goose of our past won’t be enough to sustain our prosperity into the future.  

It was the bold vision of Sir Charles Court in the 1970s to develop the North West Shelf. It was a political gamble that paid off. His landmark “take-or-pay” contract guaranteed a domestic market for WA gas, secured investment and unlocked immense prosperity and remains one of his most lasting legacies.  

Today, WA’s modern equivalent could be transforming ourselves into a data centre powerhouse for the Indo-Pacific region. 

Our existing infrastructure and innovation provide a strong foundation.  

Already our mining industry is at the front line of automation and robotics. We are leading the world with more than 420 autonomous trucks and a fully automated heavy-haul rail system spanning 1,900 kilometers. These advancements, along with technologies like advanced spectral scanning, position us to lead the critical minerals race and emerging sectors like nanotechnology and semiconductors. 

This spirit of innovation stretches far beyond mining and resources.  

Perth is home to the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre and the Setonix supercomputer, the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s used for everything from astronomy to traffic analysis. In Murchison, the Square Kilometer Array telescope, part of the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope, is expanding humanity’s understanding of the universe itself.  

Our geographical position gives us another natural advantage. With five subsea cables landing in WA, we are the digital gateway between Australia and the Asia Pacific. Our time zone overlaps with key Asian economies placing us in the perfect position to host and manage the data-driven industries of the future. 

AI needs land, energy and expertise and Western Australia has all three.  

Our Mid West and Gascoyne regions are among the sunniest and windiest places in the world, perfect for renewable energy. At the same time gas facilities provide reliable baseload power that can stabilise the grid.  Moreover, if we unlocked the potential for nuclear energy, with our reserves of uranium, we could ensure AI sovereignty and security. 

Not to mention, unlike most places, we have vast unused land able to host the infrastructure the AI revolution requires.  

With these advantages it’s clear Western Australia could become a global hub for both AI development and secure data storage, providing trusted partnerships for our ASEAN neighbours and beyond.  

It would be a bold but logical step that plays to every strength our state already has.  

WA has always had a strong sense of identity. One that is distinct and often separate from the rest of Australia.  

Ours is a history defined by bold vision and hard work.  

From the Goldfields Pipeline to the Ord River Irrigation Scheme in the Kimberly to the North West Shelf, Western Australia has never shied away from ambitious nation building projects. These weren’t easy or risk free, but they were delivered by governments that believed in our state’s potential. That legacy of resilience and determination underpins the strong economy we have today.  

Yet what’s missing today is leadership from this federal Labor government. 

For too long WA has been treated as little more than a resource well for the rest of the country. But the truth is we are capable of so much more. WA has both the ambition and ability to lead the next great wave of technological and economic change. 

The only question is if we choose to claim that future, to be AI makers not AI takers. 

In this new era WA must build infrastructure that not only meets the needs of today but anticipates the possibilities of tomorrow. Our energy grids must be capable of powering vast AI systems, our digital networks engineered to handle exponential data growth and our secure data centres designed to serve industries that don’t even exist yet. 

If we fail to act, we risk sliding from beneficiaries of this new age to subservient within it. But if we do, WA can stand not just as the engine of Australia’s past but as an architect of its future.