Former Coalition Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull famously described Coalition leader Peter Dutton as a “thug”.

That description appears particularly apt in Dutton’s nuclear power plan.

The Coalition’s nuclear project is opposed by Labor governments in each of the five states being targeted.

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Victoria, NSW and Queensland have laws banning nuclear power. Labor governments in South Australia and Western Australia may follow suit if they think state laws will give them some legal protection, or political advantage. Or both.

Could a Dutton Coalition government override state laws banning nuclear power?

Anne Twomey, a Sydney University Professor Emerita with lengthy experience teaching and practising in constitutional law, argues that states probably could not prevent the Commonwealth establishing a nuclear power plant, nor could they prevent necessary associated operations, such as transmission lines and nuclear waste transport.

Would a Dutton Coalition government attempt to override state opposition to nuclear power plants? Almost certainly it would.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said in March that “if the Australian people vote for us that’s a fair indication to premiers that they should get out of the way”.

Federal Coalition and Labor governments have pursued attempts to impose a national nuclear waste dump in SA and the NT, despite state and territory laws banning such facilities.

Those attempts have all failed, largely due to community opposition led by affected Traditional Owners.

Legal challenges helped stop three of the four proposed nuclear dump sites — Woomera (South........

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