Lack of money stalled croc review: Labor minister Steven Miles

Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles has defended a year-long delay in launching a crocodile mapping exercise.

Cindy Waldron was taken by a crocodile from a beach in Daintree National Park.

Queensland Environment Min­ister Steven Miles has defended a year-long delay in launching the state’s first comprehensive crocodile mapping exercise in a decade, as traps for a suspected killer croc came up empty yesterday.

After the death of 46-year-old photographer Cindy Waldron at a beach north of Cairns, Dr Miles announced yesterday that the ­upcoming state budget would ­include $5.8 million over three years to fund wildlife rangers and a crocodile population study.

But the Labor minister was forced to explain the delay in funding the study — which he said last year was essential to determining whether more or fewer beasts should be removed from certain areas. “At the time we last spoke, they started a desk ­research exercise, and the result of that was to say we needed a much bigger study, that that would take some time, and had a substantial cost associated with it,” Dr Miles said. “It wasn’t until we were able to secure these additional funds that the broader study was able to commence.”

The issue arose as federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion backtracked on claims that the Turnbull government had offered the Northern Territory a deal likely to see international trophy hunters allowed to shoot crocodiles on Aboriginal land.

“Some time ago an offer was made to the NT government from Minister (for the Environment Greg) Hunt in regard to a settlement about being able to export trophy crocodiles, a very small number under a management plan,” Senator Scullion told the media. “That’s before the NT government at the moment.”

Senator Scullion’s office subsequently issued a statement saying he had sought advice from Mr Hunt’s office and there was no such offer, only a proposal for a “one-stop-shop process for environmental management”.

Federal MP Bob Katter had also called for crocodile safaris, but Queensland’s Acting Premier Jackie Trad said yesterday the best way to keep people safe was to educate them on the dangers.

Ms Waldron’s family has ­arrived from New Zealand to ­observe the grim search for her ­remains after she was snatched from a beach in the Daintree ­National Park on Sunday.