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Saturday February 11, 2012

What we're talking about

  • Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Im a carer also in Qld. I see this happen way too much from our Government. They are starting to use Carers own children as ... more
  • birth mother on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i am the birth morther of these 4 children and i just want to say dhs dont care they just want the kids in care so they can ... more
  • Frances Goff on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Derryn, Firstly, Happy BirthdayHaving worked in a primary school for 15 year I have seen some terrible things regarding DHS ... more
  • Karen on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn, I have known these children through "the system".for all of their lives. I have had regular contact with them ... more
  • tash on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i was a foster child living with this family for 5 years i love them with all my hart and i think what dhs are doing is so ... more
  • Mark on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I have had dealings with DHS, and found them to be the most disgusting people that I have ever dealt with, they are a law ... more
  • Shinzu Yujiaki on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Reading this just makes me sad, what the hell is wrong with those DHS people!?"The woman they know as 'mum' travels 400 ... more
  • deborah on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i know the family involved and totally support the plight of the foster mum. those kids have come leaps and bounds since ... more
  • Ken of Euroa on "I'll pay the fee," says Hinch Joh Bauch...what a brainless, limp, pathetic, spineless interviewee that man was. Next time just get him to send you a list ... more
  • Donna of Shepparton on "I'll pay the fee," says Hinch Why don't Neil Mitchell or Derryn Hinch stand for the Libs in Niddrie? They are the two most anti-Labor presenters on ... more
  • Pete on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Jonno said he hopes the staff member (a manager in DHS) who started all of this is not a parent. Well Jonno, she is a parent ... more
  • ROBYN on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' A quote from the Age article in Jan 2012A department spokesman said it was ''reading the judgment very carefully and we will ... more
  • Jonno on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I too know the family involved, this has been nothing more than a DHS d/head's powerplay over a woman who does what many ... more
  • Tracy on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn, We are lucky to have someone like you to support those who face the frustation of incompetence, time and time ... more
  • Gailean on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Happy Birthday Derryn!! What a disgusting bunch of Pigheaded bureaucrats. Thank God that amazing Foster mum has you on her ... more
  • jonah on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' This sort of thing is what the family courts and their panoply of lawyers, judges, psychotherapists, social workers, ... more
  • stevie-lee on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' the dhs are disgusting i personaly know this beautiful family and you wouldnt find a better mother for these kids she would ... more
  • Elaine on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' These individuals and the useless politicians they are hiding behind, should be ashamed and hang their heads in disgrace.Not ... more
  • Tigger on Richmond denies St Kilda incident Derryn, will you be updating this story by following through with actual facts as per real journalism?It seems you just ... more
  • Jmac on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Nothing worse than pencil pushing pinheads in full flight,true clueless wonders.Ballieu should grow a couple and get some ... more

Australians killing dugongs and turtles

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 15 January, 2010 - 4:25 PM
Sea Turtle

Australians have been protesting, quite rightly, about the obscene slaughter of whales in the Antarctic by the Japanese. Some of us have been protesting for 25 years.

Their excuses about killing the whales for scientific purposes and cultural reasons are nautical rubbish. Commercial hogwash.

But how can we protest about them and yet right here at home protected dugongs and sea turtles are being slaughtered in the name of tradition and culture? Even though dugongs are listed under wildlife regulations as being 'vulnerable to extinction'.

Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders have the right to kill limited numbers of turtles and dugongs with a permit for ceremonial purposes, in recognition of a 40,000-year-old custom.

Under the Native Title Act they can make limited kills for 'the purpose of satisfying their personal, domestic or non?commercial communal needs; and  in exercise or enjoyment of their native title rights and interests'.

That's not what is happening. Forty thousand years ago they didn't have aluminium boats and high-powered motors. Worse than that, poachers are killing dugongs and turtles near Cairns and apparently selling the meat illegally for between $25 and $50 a kilogram. The racket involves black market sales in Cairns, Innisfail and Gordonvale.

In recent months Rangers reportedly have found rotting carcasses of these placcid protected creatures at the Yarrabah dump and nearby beaches south of Cairns. The remains discarded by poachers after taking the 'good meat' for sale.

Tribal Aborigines who hunt and fish by traditional methods do not leave carcasses to rot. They argue that dugongs and turtles are being slaughtered by non-traditional methods for commercial gain.

They too are understandably angry about the abuse of traditional rights and the threat of extinction.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett has been made aware of the scandal. And Shadow Minister Greg Hunt has been briefed. But the indiscriminate killing goes on.

It is a travesty. And if the Japanese get proof of it they'll have a whale of a time.

Blog comments Your Say

  • Absolutely brilliant to have you alive and back on air Derryn! Champion of the vulnerable and voiceless, and named one of our national dugong and sea turtle protectors in Federal Parliament. Welcome back Derryn!!

    Justine Friday 23 December, 2011 - 3:32 AM

  • How good the children and animals champion returns .
    Welcome back Australian of the year in millions of Aussies eyes.

    colin riddell Wednesday 21 December, 2011 - 5:07 PM

  • When are we going to force people to step into 21st century?
    There is no excuse for inflicting pain on poor defenceless beings. I really don't give a damn if it heppens to be some stone age tradition. It's time we forced some cave dwellers to either step into 21st century or abandon thier more primitive cruel ways.
    I really thought that at least in Australia people don't inflict cruelty in the name of some tradition.
    what is it going to take?

    Peggy Wednesday 21 December, 2011 - 3:41 PM

  • Not only are these poor animals becoming extinct but the horrendus cruelty involved is just unbelievuble.

    Corien Aan Het Rot Wednesday 21 September, 2011 - 5:46 PM

  • Sydney paper reports: "Specialists have ordered tests to determine if hunger, disease, old age or a boat caused the death of a dugong..." All of this effort, just to determine the death of ONE dugong - it should tell us something shouldn't it? Namely, they are precious and we are afraid of losing them. WHY then, do we allow legal and uncontrolled hunting? Dugongs and turtles are STILL hunted and carved up alive every week, maybe every day Taiji dolphin style - no news headlines. The silence is DEAFENING!!!

    Justine Monday 19 September, 2011 - 8:43 PM

  • The selective attention & hypocrisy is amazing Gary, thanks for the info. If you want to follow this, go to http://dugongandturtles.webs.com/ and/or look up "colinwhocares Riddell" on facebook.

    Justine Monday 19 September, 2011 - 8:39 PM

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