Hinch turtle mission puts focus on Greens
SENATOR Derryn Hinch will focus on trying to recruit the Greens to his mission to bring about stronger protection for dugongs and sea turtles from being slaughtered in the wild.
The Victorian-based Justice Party leader was in Cairns yesterday to meet wildlife activists, conservationists, traditional owners and legal experts to examine how he might be able to help reduce the amount of protected species being unnecessarily killed under the Native Title Act.
The Federal Government, which was previously looking to introduce new legislation to protect the sea creatures from being overhunted, shelved a draft Bill in favour of adding more indigenous rangers.
Senator Hinch, who has previously called for a total ban on traditional take of the species, believed that legislation was the better option.
He said that, now that he had the support of fellow crossbencher Senator Cory Bernardi, he would endeavour to recruit support from the Greens Party as well.
“I know that Larissa Waters put something up (on this issue) some years ago for the Greens,” he said.
“But I’m surprised the Greens haven’t come on board more than they have.
“I’ll be working on (Greens leader) Richard Di Natale.”
“Because none of us are against native hunting ... but when dugongs and turtles are being hunted by guys in boats with guns and spears, with an outboard motor outrunning the turtle, that’s not the way it was meant to be.”