Crocodile Control, Conservation and Safety Bill 2024
Bill Story
The journey of this bill through Parliament, including debate and recorded votes.
Introduced the bill to establish a Queensland Crocodile Authority based in Cairns to manage crocodile populations, create zero-tolerance zones in populated waterways, and provide economic opportunities for Indigenous landowners through egg harvesting and regulated hunting.
“This bill is about prioritising human life in waterways that are heavily used by North Queenslanders. Until crocodiles are actively removed from all populated waterways that are used for recreational and commercial activities, we will be no closer to taking back our waterways and achieving a balance between human life and the crocodile population.”— 2024-08-21View Hansard
Referred to Health, Environment and Agriculture Committee
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill would have established a Queensland Crocodile Authority based in Cairns to manage crocodile populations, prioritising human safety in populated waterways. It aimed to remove crocodiles from urban and recreational areas, empower Indigenous landholders to manage crocodiles on their land, and create a commercial crocodile industry through expanded egg harvesting. This bill lapsed and did not become law.
Who it affects
North Queensland residents would have seen crocodiles removed from beaches and waterways they use. Indigenous landholders would have gained new rights to manage and profit from crocodiles on their land.
Key changes
- Create a Queensland Crocodile Authority based in Cairns with regional staff
- Establish zero-tolerance zones to remove all crocodiles from populated waterways
- Empower Indigenous landholders to manage, hunt, or profit from crocodiles on their land
- Expand egg harvesting limits from 5,000 to potentially 90,000 annually
- Allow private landholders to request crocodile removal from their properties