Jaws warning as drum lines debate rumbles on

FISHERIES Minister Mark Furner has claimed he wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of Sussan Ley should a shark attack occur in the Great Barrier Reef, amid concerns the drum lines debacle is turning into a political war.

The State Government finished dropping 17 new drum lines across North and Central Queensland yesterday after pulling 160 from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

When asked whether the Government would take responsibility should an attack occur in the next 12 months at any of the now unprotected 27 beaches, Mr Furner said: “I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of the federal Environment Minister if that occurs.”

LNP environment spokesman David Crisafulli yesterday called for an end to “this Jaws soundtrack masquerading as government policy”.

“Some of these comments have reached silly point and it’s got to stop because this isn’t a political war, this is finding a midway point to deal with a set of circumstances that nobody wanted to see,” he said.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley yesterday accused the State Government of choosing “public alarm over personal safety”.

It comes after the Federal Court last week upheld an Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruling that required the State Government to abide by a catch and release program.

However, the Government pulled the drum lines because its staff were not trained to handle various live sharks.

A marine park authority spokeswoman yesterday said a permit would be reissued to the State Government to reflect the conditions outlined by the tribunal.