Crocodile hunting will be allowed in a move toward big game tourism in Queensland. Killing crocodiles found in popular waterways is also among "aggressive measures" in a bill to establish a new management body. Katter's Australian Party MP Shane Knuth tabled the legislation in state parliament on Wednesday to "address the escalating human-crocodile conflict" in north Queensland.
He said there had been frustration from residents up north about losing access to popular waterways due to growing crocodile numbers. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. The majority of the state's crocodiles are located in the far north, with the most southern population found in the Fitzroy River in central Queensland.
The bill is set to create a Queensland crocodile authority based in Cairns, with an advisory committee to provide recommendations. It also has provisions for Indigenous landholders to host crocodile hunting with big cash returns, something already under consideration in the Northern Territory. "You have the potential to bring the high-paying clients to live-harvest saltwater crocodiles around our community areas.
The opportunity there will be very rewarding," Mr Knuth said. "This bill provides real opportunities for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by providing jobs and economic development from the fast growing crocodile industry, which is estimated to be worth more than $100 million a year in the Northern Terri.