Crocodile Control, Conservation and Safety Bill 2024

Overview

This bill would have established a Queensland Crocodile Authority based in Cairns to take charge of all crocodile management across the state. It aimed to make North Queensland waterways safer by creating zero-tolerance zones where crocodiles would be killed or relocated within 48 hours, while also building a commercial crocodile industry and empowering Indigenous landholders to manage and profit from crocodiles on their land. This bill lapsed at the end of the 57th Parliament and did not become law.

Who it affects

North Queensland residents would have gained safer access to beaches and waterways. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander landholders would have gained new rights to manage and earn income from crocodiles on their land.

Key changes

• Establish a Queensland Crocodile Authority based in Cairns with a director appointed by Parliament
• Create zero-tolerance zones in populated waterways where crocodiles must be removed within 48 hours
• Empower Indigenous landholders to manage, hunt, or profit from crocodiles on their land, including through paid hunting and egg harvesting
• Expand crocodile egg harvesting beyond the current 5,000-egg pilot program limit, with annual reviews
• Require all crocodile carcasses to be fully used with no waste, and limit new farming licences to Australian-owned entities