Federal Govt urged to reconsider croc hunting ban

The World Today - Friday, 12 May , 2006 12:52:00
Reporter: Lindy Kerin

ELEANOR HALL: In the Northern Territory an Indigenous Land Management group has called on the Federal Government to reconsider its decision not to allow crocodile safari hunting in the Top End.

The Government has knocked back the safari proposal saying it's inhumane.

But some Indigenous residents say it's a missed opportunity for their communities.

In Darwin, Lindy Kerin reports

(sound of shotgun)

LINDY KERIN: Crocodile hunting was unrestricted in Northern Australia during the 1940s and 50s.

In 1971, saltwater crocodiles were declared a protected species. Now there's an estimated 75,000 Salties in Northern Territory waters.

Seeing potential economic benefits, the Territory Government developed a proposal to allow 25 crocs a year to be killed on safari hunts. But the Federal Government wouldn't give the go-ahead.

The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance is the peak Indigenous natural resource organisation for Northern Australia.

The Group's Joe Morrison says the Federal Government's decision is a missed opportunity.

JOE MORRISON: This was being mooted as a good way to move forward, to move the debate about using wildlife as an economic opportunity for communities.

We're not saying that the crocodile safari idea was going to pull people out of poverty, or make people instant millionaires, but we're basically saying it was a good leverage to start looking at diversification on their country, and they the need to match their rhetoric when they're talking about changes to welfare, reforming welfare and also looking at alternative livelihoods. I mean this was a prime opportunity, and the Government basically said no, we like you guys, but we don't want to support this particular activity.

LINDY KERIN: It's believed the Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell's decision to knock back the idea was swayed by television celebrity Steve Irwin, also known as the crocodile hunter.

Joe Morrison says the Federal Minister should have consulted with Indigenous communities.

JOE MORRISON: I understand that he put a fair effort into persuading the, or at least advising the Minister of his position and Steve's a big advocate, and it's known – it's on his website - that he's not a big supporter of sustainable use of wildlife. And he thinks that a lot of the people who talk about sustainable use of wildlife are basically people who've fallen out of a tree.

But the fact is that Steve is a large media personality in Australia and also in the US, I should add, and his position on this shone through, I think, at the end of the day.

LINDY KERIN: Dr Grahame Webb is an internationally renowned crocodile expert and is Chairman of the specialist group with the World Conservation Union.

He says it was a foolish decision which went against scientific research.

GRAHAME WEBB: You can't spend million of dollars on research and put into practise programs and test them and see as the Northern Territory has done, and they have the best credentials in the world for managing their crocodiles, and for the Federal Minister to try to stop this, on the basis of, as far as I can see, what Steve Irwin, felt about it, it's just unbelievable. It's a laughing stock.

We up here are the people that have to live with crocodiles. Landowners here have to be careful of their dogs, their kids because of crocodiles. They'll eat you, they'll kill and they're dangerous animals and they're doing it.

There's not a big crocodile out here that doesn't have its tail missing, a leg missing, an arm missing – they live a pretty rough life, and then we're carrying on like a bunch of pansies. I'm angry about this because I just think it's stupid.

LINDY KERIN: The Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says he has listened to both sides of the argument and his decision is final.

IAN CAMPBELL: Steve is sort of an iconic and famous Australian, so people, you know, know who he is, but he also knows a hell of a lot about crocodiles. And yes, he had an influence on my decision, but Grahame Webb had an equal influence.

ELEANOR HALL: Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell speaking to Lindy Kerin.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1637140.htm