Latest news with #Cairns-based
Sky News AU
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Firebrand politician Bob Katter reignites his war of words with Terri Irwin over his 'lazy' crocodile hunting push
Firebrand politician Bob Katter has reignited his war of words with Terri Irwin, the widowed wife of beloved Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, after she labelled his bid to legalise crocodile hunting 'lazy' and 'sloppy'. Dr Irwin, director of Australia Zoo, was among nearly 200 stakeholders who made submissions to the committee overseeing a controversial bill introduced by Katter's Australian Party to allow croc culling and egg harvesting to keep populations in check and make recreational waterways safer. 'The Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill 2025 will increase the probability of crocodile attacks on people and impact the overall health of Queensland waterways,' Dr Irwin said in her submission. 'More than sixty percent of the clauses in this Bill are exactly the same as previous versions. In fact, it is such a lazy and sloppy attempt to recycle old draft legislation that the Explanatory Notes refers to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection – the department has not been called that since 2017.' Speaking to Sky News, Bob Katter vehemently defended criticisms from Dr Irwin and Australia Zoo. 'What the hell would they know about it? They live in Brisbane. All they know about is crocodiles in cages. They've never lived where the crocodiles are,' Mr Katter said. 'Even I don't want crocodiles in cages.' Sky News requested an interview with Dr Irwin but a reply has not been received. Mr Katter's Australian Party's bill, which proposes the establishment of a Cairns-based Queensland Crocodile Authority to oversee a permanent crocodile culling program, has been rejected by a parliamentary committee. The bill seeks to legislate licencing for crocodile farms and sanctuaries, safari-style hunting and egg harvesting as a means of controlling the reptiles' growing populations and making recreational waterways safer. But the Health, Environment and Innovation Committee overseeing the bill has recommended it not be passed. "The committee agrees that public safety should always be a paramount consideration but ultimately concluded that no amount of culling or management will ever fully erase the danger posed by crocodiles," the committee's report said. Mr Katter said growing crocodile populations and a geographical expansion of their habitat was the result of an 'imbalance' in Queensland waterways caused by a 1970s ban of crocodile culling and egg harvesting. Reintroducing the controversial practice would keep the populations in check and reduce the risks of attacks on humans, he said. 'Human beings took the eggs for 40,000 years. You've stopped the human being from taking the eggs,' he said. 'Not one single one of the 300,000 crocodiles in North Queensland has ever got shot. If I've got a crocodile on my cattle station, I'm not even allowed to remove them. 'They're territorial. The mother has 60 little crocodiles. Well, they got to find a home and all North Queensland is territorialised now, so all they can do is move south.' A suspected crocodile sighting in the Noosa River on the Sunshine Coast in July has reignited debate about crocodile management in Queensland. Images captured by local fisherman James Graham through a sonar fish-finder of a crocodile-like figure on the riverbed have gone viral and made national news headlines. 'If I was in my normal fishing spots, a couple of hundred meters north, that's what a croc looks like,' he said. 'The thought (of a crocodile in the Noosa River) is truly absurd.' Dr Ross Dwyer, crocodile expert with the University of the Sunshine Coast, said it would be possible for a crocodile to inhabit the Noosa River, but 'highly unlikely'. 'This would be the furthest south a crocodile has been spotted down here in over 100 years,' he said. 'During the 20th century, crocodiles were hunted so extensively they were pushed back in their range in Queensland, and what we're seeing is the crocodiles starting to expand back into that natural habitat again. 'The Noosa River could be good habitat if there wasn't all that built up area and the water was warmer. 'The crocodile population is expanding. The water is warming up and we are going to see more of them in these southern parts of the range. 'They do have an important role in these waterways and it's something that we need to be proud of in Australia.' Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers shot a crocodile found in the Mary River near Maryborough in February. "(Shooting) is certainly one of the tools in the toolbox and we do employ it in situations where public safety (is affected by) the risk of the crocodile persisting in the area," a spokesman told the ABC.
Sky News AU
21-07-2025
- General
- Sky News AU
Locals stunned after crocodile reportedly sighted along a spit in Noosa, Queensland, sparking official investigation
Claims of a rare crocodile sighting have become the talk of the town in a well-known Sunshine Coast community. Local Ross Buckley took to a Noosa Facebook community page on Sunday to say he spotted a crocodile "a few metres off the shoreline" at the Noosa Spit in south east Queensland during a 6.30am walk that morning, adding its length was about 3.5m. He said the sighting had scared him away from walking in the same area in the mornings. "At first I thought it was a bit of driftwood, but then it moved. I've lived here over 30 years and never seen anything like it, I've heard a few locals say they have seen one in the same neck of the woods, although I didn't think much of it," Mr Buckley posted. "I quickly put the dog on the lead and kept my distance. Emergency services have been alerted and are apparently on a search for it now. Just wanted to give a heads up to all the locals who walk their dogs here early and usually swim around this area - be careful and stay safe. Not sure what's going on with wildlife lately but this gave me a real fright. Definitely won't be back here for my morning walk." The sighting has shocked locals, who are not used to seeing crocodiles so far south in Queensland, especially during the middle of winter. Hours later in the day, another man, fisherman James Graham, said he had also spotted what appeared to be a crocodile on the Garmin fish finder on his boat. He told The Courier Mail he was confident it was the large reptile. '(We) regularly go a few hundred kilometres north into croc waters, and use the Garmin fish finder to look around, and you'll see an old car or a boot or something on the bottom, and then you'll spot a croc,' he said. 'But down here in Noosa, to see exactly what we see many kilometres further north. That just says it's a croc to me, tell me that's not a croc. 'We looked at it and thought 'bloody hell, there's a croc' on my screen." Shortly after the claims emerged, Cairns-based group Community Representation of Crocodiles told locals to be "alert" but not "alarmed". It said while the sightings are unconfirmed, crocodiles appearing in southern waters were "actually not uncommon". "They are vagrants or strays, and generally stay for a short amount of time and then head back north: they are not populating southern waters as research shows their populations stabilising and there is no evidence to support them breeding further south than Rockhampton due to water temp," it said on social media. The Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation is investigating the reported sightings.
Herald Sun
12-05-2025
- General
- Herald Sun
Sailors rescued from sinking yacht in Coral Sea, 350km east of Brisbane
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. Three sailors have been saved from a sinking yacht hundreds of kilometres off the Queensland coast. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) from QLD and Victoria, NSW Police, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and a cargo vessel all responded to help the three crew members, who issued a distress signal about 7am on Sunday. Their 17m yacht was at risk of sinking in the Coral Sea about 350km east of Brisbane after it took on water and experienced electrical problems. The crew used a satellite emergency notification device to alert AMSA. An AMSA spokesman said the agency deployed the Essendon and Cairns-based Challenger rescue aircraft, which arrived at the yacht's location at 10am and 11.30am. The aircraft dropped two life rafts, communication equipment and a dewatering pump to the yacht. Cargo vessel Darya Nitya was nearby and responded to AMSA's request for assistance, arriving about 5pm. NSW Police boat Nemesis arrived at 6.45pm and rescued all three crew members. An ADF aircraft provided communication support while the rescue was underway. 'This incident is a strong reminder of the importance of carrying a suitable distress beacon while offshore — it may save your life,' an AMSA spokesman said. Originally published as Three sailors rescued from sinking yacht in Coral Sea, 350km east of Brisbane
Sky News AU
12-05-2025
- General
- Sky News AU
Sailors rescued from sinking yacht in Coral Sea, 350km east of Brisbane
Three sailors have been saved from a sinking yacht hundreds of kilometres off the Queensland coast. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) from QLD and Victoria, NSW Police, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and a cargo vessel all responded to help the three crew members, who issued a distress signal about 7am on Sunday. Their 17m yacht was at risk of sinking in the Coral Sea about 350km east of Brisbane after it took on water and experienced electrical problems. The crew used a satellite emergency notification device to alert AMSA. An AMSA spokesman said the agency deployed the Essendon and Cairns-based Challenger rescue aircraft, which arrived at the yacht's location at 10am and 11.30am. The aircraft dropped two life rafts, communication equipment and a dewatering pump to the yacht. Cargo vessel Darya Nitya was nearby and responded to AMSA's request for assistance, arriving about 5pm. NSW Police boat Nemesis arrived at 6.45pm and rescued all three crew members. An ADF aircraft provided communication support while the rescue was underway. 'This incident is a strong reminder of the importance of carrying a suitable distress beacon while offshore — it may save your life,' an AMSA spokesman said. Originally published as Three sailors rescued from sinking yacht in Coral Sea, 350km east of Brisbane
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Incredible rescue of three sailors at sea
Three sailors have been saved from a sinking yacht hundreds of kilometres off the Queensland coast. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) from QLD and Victoria, NSW Police, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and a cargo vessel all responded to help the three crew members, who issued a distress signal about 7am on Sunday. Their 17m yacht was at risk of sinking in the Coral Sea about 350km east of Brisbane after it took on water and experienced electrical problems. Three people have been rescued from a sinking yacht about 350km east of Brisbane. NewsWire Credit: NewsWire The crew used a satellite emergency notification device to alert AMSA. An AMSA spokesman said the agency deployed the Essendon and Cairns-based Challenger rescue aircraft, which arrived at the yacht's location at 10am and 11.30am. The aircraft dropped two life rafts, communication equipment and a dewatering pump to the yacht. Cargo vessel Darya Nitya was nearby and responded to AMSA's request for assistance, arriving about 5pm. Three people have been rescued from a sinking yacht about 350km east of Brisbane. NewsWire Credit: NewsWire NSW Police boat Nemesis arrived at 6.45pm and rescued all three crew members. An ADF aircraft provided communication support while the rescue was underway. 'This incident is a strong reminder of the importance of carrying a suitable distress beacon while offshore — it may save your life,' an AMSA spokesman said.
