Each week, a member of the Justice & Peace Office (JPO) will critically and philosophically discuss the many social justice issues we face today though the lens of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). 'Speaking of Social Justice' aims to give its audience a greater insight into the economic, social, political, cultural, and spiritual underpinnings of domestic and international affairs. The JPO welcomes you to join this ongoing journey of learning, self-examination, and consciousness raising in order to become a strong ally in the social justice movement.
Everyone hates data centres. So what’s the alternative? 🏠💻
In this week's episode of Speaking of Social Justice, Dr Julie Macken is joined by Dr Michael Walker to unpack his latest article on a different way of thinking about data centres.
Instead of billion-dollar mega-builds, what if computing power worked like rooftop solar and household batteries: small, distributed units attached to homes, with households getting their power bills subsidised in return?
Julie and Michael also ask whether we’re living through an AI bubble (Julie was at the Financial Review during the dot-com crash, and the parallels are striking), why companies are walking back AI job cuts, and why most of us would still rather talk to a human.
They finish with Pope Leo’s teaching on technology: the Tower of Babel versus the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. Does technology serve power and domination, or human flourishing? And is the Golden Calf an even better metaphor for our relationship with screens?
Read more on our substack: https://substack.com/@jposyd (https://substack.com/@jposyd)
7 Oct 2026
A win for the little guys
This week on Speaking of Social Justice, Michael Walker celebrates some big news: the Lane Cove Responsible Planning Group, who joined us on the podcast last week, has successfully forced the withdrawal of the planning application for a $1 billion data centre in Lane Cove West.
What started as neighbours from two streets around a kitchen table grew into a campaign that took on a major developer, and won. Michael traces how they did it: letterboxing, WhatsApp and Facebook groups, local media, support from councillors, a 100+ person town hall, backing from academics, and a Senate inquiry hearing held right in Lane Cove.
The campaign isn't over, with two more data centres proposed for the same business park. But it's a powerful reminder for parish social justice groups and community organisers everywhere: issues that seem enormous are not beyond us.
If they can do that, imagine what we can do about the environment, homelessness, and Sydney's housing crisis.
Read more here: https://justiceandpeace.org.au/lane-cove-residents-see-off-data-centre-proposal/ (https://justiceandpeace.org.au/lane-cove-residents-see-off-data-centre-proposal/)
23 Sept 2026
AI and the ground beneath it: data centres in our backyard
Speaking of Social Justice is back after a short break with a new series on artificial intelligence and its ethical implications, prompted by strong interest in Pope Leo's recent encyclical on AI.
This week, Dr Michael Walker is joined by Sasha Titchkosky of the Lane Cove Responsible Planning Group, a community group of residents living alongside proposals for hyperscale data centres in Lane Cove West.
Sasha explains why residents are worried about Goodman's Project Mars proposal, which would sit less than 20 metres from the nearest home and 160 metres from a school, beside bushland, playing fields, Lane Cove National Park and the Lane Cove River. She covers the constant noise from cooling equipment, a million litres of diesel and nearly 200 tonnes of lithium batteries stored in a bushfire-prone area, air pollution from backup generators, and heavy use of electricity and water. She also describes a community consultation process that left residents feeling unheard.
The pair also discuss the bigger picture on how little of the investment in data centres actually stays in Australia, why no one is assessing the cumulative impact of multiple data centres in one place, and where they should (and shouldn't) be built. Sasha shares the work of the National Alliance for Responsible Data Centres, which isn't calling for no data centres, but for the right ones, in the right places, with community support.
A reminder that the "cloud" has a very real footprint.
Who has been a guest on Speaking of Social Justice
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Dr Julie Macken
Dr Michael Walker
Pauline Jasudason
Julie Macken
Tim Buckley
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6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100
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