Put spotlight on poaching

THREE years ago, the Coalition Government announced it would spend $2 million for an Australian Crime Commission investigation into the illegal poaching and trade of turtle and dugong meat in the Far North.

This was driven by the campaigning of people like Cairns wildlife activist Colin Riddell, who feared not enough was being done to prevent the protected species from being slaughtered in our waters.

Unfortunately, the Government does not want to publicly release the full report.

It’s only been through the Freedom of Information process that the Cairns Post has been able to obtain some internal documents to see exactly what was discovered.

While the illegal sale of meat throughout Queensland and the Torres Strait has been found to be “almost certainly minimal and usually opportunistic”, the commission admits the full extent of the issue is unknown.

Unknown? Isn’t that the reason why these investigators were tasked with the job of finding this out in the first place?

They also admit that the poaching activities of Papua New Guinea nationals in the Torres Strait – in contravention of the Torres Strait Treaty – may contribute to a decline of turtle and dugong numbers.

But the commission has since wiped its hands of the matter.

Hunting of these animals in the Far North is a practice that many parties – including indigenous groups – want to see halted.

This isn’t an issue we can afford to ignore – and certainly one that should not be buried away from the public.