Bob Irwin hunting for Queensland crocodile law changes

Proposed laws in Queensland could make it illegal to provoke crocodiles.

Bob Irwin met with outgoing Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon at Parliament House on Tuesday. Picture: Dylan Liddy

Deliberately provoking wild ­crocodiles would be outlawed under proposed laws put to the Queensland government this week.

Campaign leader Bob Irwin met Environment Minister ­Meaghan Scanlon and department director-general Jamie ­Merrick on Tuesday to discuss the proposal.

Ms Scanlon on Thursday shifted portfolios, but her successor, Leanne Linard, will be briefed on the issue in coming weeks.

The father of renowned conservationist Steve Irwin said the government seemed receptive to the need for new laws aimed at stamping out reckless human ­behaviour in crocodile habitats.

It could include giving rangers powers to issue on-the-spot fines to anyone who ignored warning signs and entered the water in crocodile territory.

Mr Irwin likened the proposed laws to those prohibiting interaction between tourists and dingoes on Fraser Island that can incur fines of up to $11,500.

“We’ve got to have a system like Fraser Island has got, which is working really well; there’s big signs that tell people if they ­interfere with a dingo in any way, they will cop a hefty fine,” he said.

“That’s the type of thing we want in crocodile country.

“You’re still getting a small minority of people doing the wrong thing on Fraser but they pay the price for that.”

Bob Irwin at Parliament House on Tuesday. Picture: Dylan Liddy

Under a proposal backed by the region’s traditional owners, who attended the meeting on Tuesday, Mr Irwin, represented by the Environmental Defenders ­Office, has called for the creation of a new offence for recklessly using crocodile habitat.

The campaign comes after 37-year-old Alister MacPhee filmed himself entering the Bloomfield River, south of Cooktown, in February. Within moments of setting foot in the water, he was bitten on the leg by a crocodile but released after the 4.2m reptile went for his rottweiler instead.

The croc was later shot by wildlife officers, prompting outrage in the community and among traditional owners.

A petition called for Mr MacPhee to be charged, but the department deemed no offence had been committed under its jurisdiction.

Mr Irwin said the proposed laws would not lead to any change for the vast majority of people. “It’s just that small minority, usually male … I think some of them have got an ego problem, and they want to make a name for themselves and do very irresponsible things in crocodile country,” he said.

“That’s what I’d like to stop.”

There have been three confirmed crocodile attacks in Queensland this year, including a fatal attack in Lakefield National Park last month.

It has led to renewed calls for a culling program to thin out the crocodile population in north Queensland, but the government has ruled out a cull, instead allocated funding for public education and warning systems.

“Everyone acknowledges that more has to be done to manage interactions between crocs and people and that current laws are not adequate,” EDO managing lawyer for north Queensland Kirstiana Ward said.

“We are all working together to come up with a durable, long-term solution.”