Tue, 16 Dec 2008 (Published by ABC News)

The RSPCA says it is pleased with the evidence and information it has received from Fraser Island residents about the health of its dingo population.

The animal welfare group held a public meeting yesterday on the island, off south-east Queensland, to investigate a series of concerns about the dingoes, including claims the protected species is starving.

Senior RSPCA inspector Tracey Jackson says the group also raised concerns about ear tags on the dingoes.

She says she will examine the information she has collected and relay it to the State Government, so it can review the island's dingo management plan.

"I think it was a really positive outcome. If nothing else we've opened up the lines of communication and there's certainly lots of information there for me to look at when I get back home," she said.

"All of it was really solid information and exactly what we were after and exactly the sort of stuff that we can look at to determine what issues there are, if any, and what we need to do about it."

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 (Published by ABC News)
The RSPCA is holding a meeting today on Fraser Island, in south-east Queensland, after numerous complaints about the health of dingoes.

The State Government's dingo management strategy has been heavily criticised since the installation of fences to keep dingoes out of the Eurong and Happy Valley townships.

Senior inspector Tracey Jackson says the most common complaint by residents and visitors is that the dingoes are starving.

"All of these different concerns are ones that we address and we've been addressing for quite some time now," she said.

"Primarily now we've been looking at the food situation and that seems to be the prime concern of most of the residents."

Ms Jackson says people need to bring evidence to back up any claims, such as photos and video.

"We've been hearing from a lot of people who are reacting to what they've seen or heard in the media," she said.

"We really want to get to the heart of it and determine if there are actually any welfare concerns that we need to address."

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 (published by the Courier Mail)

IT is the paradise island that attracts more than 500,000 tourists every year - but Fraser Island can't get enough park rangers.

Despite an intensive recruitment drive, Queensland's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filled only 10 of 15 vacant positions for rangers on Fraser Island last month.

The EPA employs 40 rangers and one administration officer on the island, off Hervey Bay town, about 350km north of Brisbane.

An EPA spokeswoman said the staffing situation "has clearly improved but the skills typically required to be a ranger are still in high demand".

Fraser Island World Heritage Community Advisory Committee member Clyde Coombs said many people "can't hack" the work.

"We've heard of rangers only lasting one day and walking out the next," he said.

The recruitment struggles follow revelations by The Sunday Mail in June that rangers were flown to and from the island daily because they got bored living on the World Heritage-listed paradise.

The EPA spokeswoman last week confirmed at least one-third of the island's staff were still being flown to and from the island, despite the Government spending $2 million on 15 architect-designed eco-cabins for rangers three years ago.

She said it was the most productive and cost-effective way for rangers to commute.

"Work-life balance is a high priority for the EPA," she said.

"Helping staff to commute has improved retention rates and allows staff to spend quality time with their families."

The EPA refuses to say how much it costs to fly the rangers to the island but the spokeswoman said it was "very similar to discounted ferry fares".

Rangers are transported by Air Fraser Island from Hervey Bay. The trip would cost members of the public about $170.

Campers visiting Fraser Island have been warned they risk fines of up to $3000 for not keeping the area tidy.

Park rangers are cracking down on holiday-makers who leave out food scraps, which attract dingoes to camping grounds.

Even leaving out dirty dishes or forgetting to put the lid back on a sauce bottle could attract fines of between $225 and $3000, the EPA spokeswoman said.

A group of young campers narrowly avoided a $3000 fine last week after they left dirty plates on their table and failed to clean up spilled food from the night before.

Rhys Clarke, 18, of Bracken Ridge in Brisbane, and 10 mates had left their camp to visit a lake: "When we came back we found a note hanging on a tarp, telling us to clean up before (the rangers) came back or else we'd get fined $3000."

Mr Clarke said they would have been "very annoyed" and felt "ripped off" if the rangers had acted on the threat.

"They came back and told us we had to rope up all of our Eskies and put all our sealed food containers in the back of the utes whenever we left the campsite," he said.

Charles Lee, from Chicago in the US, who was visiting the island for the fourth time, said the fines were "fair".

The EPA spokeswoman said the action was necessary to protect people from dingo attacks, as the animals came into campsites to scavenge for food.

More than 55,000 people are expected to visit the island during December and January.

Local business owners Wade and Kelly Batty are celebrating after picking up a major gong at the recent Queensland Tourism Awards.

The couple’s business Discovery Group, which includes Fraser Island tours and Noosa Everglades cruises, was named best tour and transport operator.

Queensland tourism minister Desley Boyle praised the pair’s win and said their tours had enthralled thousands of visitors to the Coast.

“In these tough economic times, it becomes more imperative than ever for tourism businesses to employ sound planning and rigorous self-assessment,” he said.

“The Queensland Tourism Awards remains one of the best tools to guide operators through this process, with business planning a key component of every entry.

“Competition was as strong as ever this year.”

All winners will progress to the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Melbourne on February 27.