Newsroom

July 4, 2024

State Member for Hill, Shane Knuth, has unleashed his fury at the Queensland Government for the forced withdrawal of his Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill from the Health, Environment, and Agriculture Committee.

In a ruling tabled at the Queensland Parliament on July 1, 2024, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly stated:

"In this instance, the Bill is creating a right for members of the Advisory Committee to be paid expenses which can only be drawn from existing appropriations. 

I rule that the Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill 2024 does contain an appropriation and should not have been introduced without first being recommended by a message of the Governor in accordance with section 68 of the Constitution of Queensland 2001 and Standing Order 174. 

Accordingly, the bill is out of order and will need to be discharged and withdrawn."

Knuth expressed outrage, stating,

"Crocodile control is a contentious issue in the southeast, and it's clear the Government wants to avoid public hearings and media scrutiny on this Bill, which is designed to save lives."

"To have the Bill withdrawn because it called for the creation of a voluntary advisory committee, who are unpaid but entitled to claim travel expenses for meetings, is absurd," Knuth added.

"In my 20 years in parliament, I have never been forced to withdraw a private member's bill on what I would call a technicality. This is another example of how broken our parliamentary system is in Queensland."

Knuth criticized the current parliamentary process, saying,

"Once a party has the numbers, they run parliament like a dictatorship, leaving no room for proper debate or the ability to scrutinize and hold the government accountable."

"This so-called 'democratic process' is a farce when a bill that aims to protect human lives by establishing a Queensland Crocodile Authority is withdrawn over an 'appropriation' of funds to cover travel costs for a volunteer advisory committee," Knuth argued.

The Bill proposed the establishment of a Queensland Crocodile Authority (QCA) based in Cairns and a zero-tolerance policy for crocodiles in waterways frequently used by humans.

The Bill also offered an economic opportunity to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through the establishment of a crocodile industry in Queensland.

"Over 80% of the Crocodile population in the state is located north of Cairns and the increase in numbers has become alarming, which is why its logical to manage the problem locally.

"It's is a huge issue with North Queenslanders, who are insulted constantly by being told by the State Government to be 'croc' wise."

The Governments only solution is to put up signs, close beaches and swimming waterways and expect the problem to go away.

The KAP are dedicated to protecting North Queensland lives and our outdoor lifestyle. I will be resubmitting the Bill to parliament before the election in October and call on the government to expedite debate on this crucial issue," Knuth concluded.

Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto expressed his disappointment over the KAP bill being discharged.

“Current approaches to crocodile management are largely reactionary and are insufficient to adequately protect the community from the danger posed by these apex predators. The KAP bill sought to rectify these inadequacies.

“The Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill was aimed at reducing the risks posed to human life by estuarian crocodiles, particularly in North Queensland,” Mr Dametto said.

“The Queensland Government is in the final stages of implementing a revised Crocodile Management Plan, but it is clear from their draft proposal that their approach is heavily focused on the control and behaviour of humans rather than the control and management of crocodiles. In direct opposition to this, the KAP bill importantly focused on controlling crocodiles, not humans.

“We can’t continue to keep losing our recreational swimming holes and other locations to crocodiles to appease green ideology. Crocodiles should not be classified as a threatened species and we must put human life before crocodiles.”