Nick Dametto puts Qld crocodile plan and campaign under spotlight with controversial social media post

A Qld MP brushed up his Canva skills to reignite a controversial debate on croc management, depicting himself either ready to shoot, or share a beer with the animals - as a protection measure.

A North Queensland MP has reignited a controversial debate over crocodile management by depicting himself ready to shoot — or share a beer — with the predator.

But the stunt has been labelled as “extreme politics” by a Far North crocodile campaigner.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto recreated the Department of Environment’s Croc-Blocker campaign – which warned Queenslanders to “keep something solid between you and the water” with an image of two men fishing and using their eskies as barriers.

Mr Dametto’s version replaced one of the men holding a rod with him holding a rifle aimed at the water.

An original, unedited image of the Queensland Government's Croc-blocker campaign.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto's edited version of the Queensland Government's Croc-blocker campaign.

“This Croc Wise BS coming out of the State Government is getting beyond a joke,” his post read.

“I’m not sure an Esky full of tins is going to pull up a five metre man eater.

“Maybe they are expecting us to pull up, offer the big fulla a Great Northern and talk it out?”

The Katter’s Australian Party deputy leader, along with his conservative colleagues have long pushed for a cull of the apex predators, while Hill MP Shane Knuth on multiple occasions tabled his own legislation – the Safer Waterways Bill – ultimately, rejected by the parliament.

His bill pushed for the creation of a Queensland Crocodile Authority to be based in Cairns, which would have “a zero-tolerance policy on crocodiles in populated waterways, annual culling, and develop a crocodile industry for Indigenous communities and landowners”.

While Mr Dametto’s social media stunt earned him praise, he admitted he hadn’t yet met with the new state environment minister to put forward his stance on crocodile management, but “it was on the agenda”.

He was also asked if he was advising his followers to use rifles as protection against crocs; the maximum court-imposed fine for killing a crocodile was $26,615.

“The meme is not a directive but demonstrates a policy position of the KAP,” Mr Dametto said.

“My meme and post doesn’t direct anyone to break the law. The picture was meant to demonstrate the vast difference between the LNP and KAP’s policy position on croc management.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto is calling for the State Government to rethink their crocodile management policy. Picture: Alix Sweeney

“The state government’s advice on how to protect yourself is out of touch and screams ‘Brisbane scripted’.

“Most of the Hinchinbrook constituency supports a croc cull and this is why KAP will continue to call for a reduction in crocodile numbers in populated areas.”

Cairns Wildlife educator and crocodile campaigner Matt Cornish of CROC – Community Representation of Crocodiles – labelled Mr Dametto’s stance as “disgusting”.

“The Katter Party are extremists when it comes to environmental issues, they feel like their shortsighted view on the environment can be managed with a rifle,” he said.

Crocodile educator Matt Cornish labelled Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto’s stance on the management of the reptiles as “disgusting”. Picture: Crocodile_Beers

“It’s disgusting that politicians are still out there for the death of native wildlife.

“We’re allegedly the most intelligent species on earth, you think we’d be able to coexist with an apex predator that lives in the water; Nick Dametto needs to read a book on crocodile ecology and educate himself before he considers himself an expert.”

Mr Cornish said his organisation had helped lobby for the recent introduction of fines for feeding crocodiles and supported the Croc-blocker campaign.

He said he would continue to advocate for educational amendments to the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan.

“I would like to see more reckless behaviour being criminally accountable, if people are interacting with waterways where crocodiles inhabit in a reckless way, that should be penalised too.”

Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said on Monday he would like to scrutinise the crocodile management regulation, having introduced a former plan under the Newman government 13 years previous.

When asked if he agreed to a widespread cull given the sighting of a ‘jumping’ crocodile on January 23 at Coonarr Beach near Bundaberg, further south than expected, Mr Powell said “it’s time for another review of the regulation.”

But he wanted to check if the former Labor government had been administering the existing management plan properly.

Opposition leader Steven Miles also avoided giving a clear position on supporting a widespread crocodile cull, and deferred the decision making to wildlife experts within the department of environment.

When Mr Miles served as environment minister in 2017 he said in the crocodile management plan that crocodiles were found in Gladstone and further north, and that they could be removed from areas in “certain circumstances”.

This week he said there was scope within legislation to allow killing crocodiles, and said it was up to the wildlife experts to determine how they controlled them, whether it be signage, trapping and removal, or killing them.

“I do miss answering questions about crocodile management,” Mr Miles said.

“I trust them, the people out there on the waters risking their lives to be making those decisions.”

Originally published as Nick Dametto puts Qld crocodile plan and campaign under spotlight with controversial social media post