Some of the Coalition's proposed nuclear locations are near fault lines — is that a problem?

The Coalition wants to build nuclear reactors at seven locations across the country, and several are on or near known fault lines. SRC's chief scientist Adam Pascale says those could happen anywhere, so no region can be ruled out as "immune" to significant earthquakes, though faults make an earthquake in that area more likely. With facilities in existence overseas designed to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 7.5, GeoScience Australia says "there are only some geological characteristics that would pose an un-engineerable hazard which would mean the site could not be safely considered for a nuclear power plant". "In the Australian context, this includes the identification of a fault capable of producing large earthquakes and surface offsets within the immediate vicinity, the liquefaction potential of a site, the likelihood of underground cave collapse, and landslide potential," the agency's earthquake hazard scientist Tamarah King said. Geoscience Australia's 'Neotectonic Features' map shows definite and possible faults near several of the proposed nuclear sites, including at Loy Yang in Victoria, Port Augusta in South Australia and Callide west of Gladstone.