Queensland has experienced earthquakes before, and they will continue to occur into the future. Although listed as the State’s ninth priority hazard in the 2023 Queensland State Disaster Risk Report, earthquakes are a rare but constant threat with hundreds recorded annually in Australia. The National Seismic Hazard Assessment indicates that Australia could expect a magnitude 6.0 or greater event every 10 to 15 years. These events can strike without warning, putting our communities at risk.
Awareness of earthquake hazard is low across Queensland, impacting community safety and preparedness. The 2024 State Earthquake Risk Assessment looks to change this by providing information on risk across Queensland, to inform the development of effective disaster risk assessments at the local and district levels.
Recognising and understanding earthquake risk to communities is the first step towards resilience. There is a need to communicate accurate risk information across all three tiers of the Queensland disaster management arrangements. By doing so we can effectively work towards resilience, preparedness, and effective response to mitigate the impacts and ensure the safety of our communities.
This presentation will introduce the 2024 State Earthquake Risk Assessment outlining the improvements from the 2019 version. The presentation will describe the areas assessed to be at highest earthquake risk and discuss further research needs to address key data and information gaps in earthquake knowledge in earthquake knowledge.