Hunt for tens of millions in Crocodile Dundee profits is on again

THE hunt for tens of millions of dollars in Crocodile Dundee profits is on again with federal prosecutors considering whether to charge Paul Hogan's former accountant, who thought he was in the clear.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has revealed to News Corp Australia that the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is currently considering whether to commence proceedings against Tony Stewart, who provided financial advice to Hogan and collaborator John "Strop" Cornell for at least 15 years.

In 2005 the trio became the focus of Australia's most expensive and high-profile tax probe after the ACIC's forerunner, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), raided a Melbourne hotel room and found explosive documents on a laptop. The men were investigated on suspicion of squirrelling away much of the hit films' earnings in trusts and companies stretching from Switzerland to the Caribbean.

In 2010 the ACC dropped its investigation into Hogan and Cornell; two years later the duo and the ATO settled claims against each other without any admissions of liability. Not a single tax evasion charge has ever been laid against Hogan, Cornell or Stewart and they have always denied doing anything wrong.

When News Corp Australia told Stewart the DPP was now looking at whether to charge him, he said: "It's news to me … I don't know what all this is about.

"I've been investigated by the ACC … and I've been cleared. It's over as far as I'm concerned."

He then revealed that he too had settled with authorities, in December 2014.

Asked if there was any missing money in Swiss bank accounts, Stewart said: "I am not in a position to comment; there is a whole heap of confidentiality agreements and also I was a professional adviser to Paul and John and in that regard I still have a professional responsibility to them.

"There are sort of handcuffs on me and I have to keep my mouth shut."

The revelations that Stewart had settled yet is in the crosshairs once more leaves open the possibility that Hogan could also face further investigation.

Hogan's California-based manager Douglas Urbanski said: "We are unaware of any reopening of any investigation into Mr Hogan. I will mention that after a years long investigation, it was eventually dropped for lack of evidence. Worth mentioning is that Mr Hogan was compensated by the state for a portion of his legal fees in the matter."

The Australian solicitor who represents all three men, Andrew Robinson, said "Mr Stewart denies and will continue to deny any wrongdoing."

Mr Robinson added that he had received "no communication from any federal agency" in the seven years since the ACC "took the unprecedented step of issuing a press release advising the public that the investigation" into Hogan and Cornell was over.

The ACIC, which replaced the ACC in 2015, would not make further comment. The DPP and ATO would not comment.

The pursuit of Hogan, Cornell and Stewart began after ACC officers stormed a suite at Melbourne's Sheraton hotel on Valentine's Day 2004. The room was booked in the name of Brit Philip Egglishaw, a principal of Swiss tax advisory firm Strachans.

The client files on Egglishaw's laptop sparked the Project Wickenby tax probe, which cost $430 million to run but claimed to have raised more than $1 billion by the time it finished 2015.

In total 46 people were convicted. Wickenby's most high-profile scalp was entertainment guru Glenn Wheatley, jailed for 15 months in 2007.

Hogan has said he used Strachans — legitimately.

Mowbray River a well known spot for snapping pics of crocodiles

MOTORISTS driving ­between Cairns and Port Douglas know well the Mowbray River is a no-go zone for swimming: you can actually see the crocodiles on the riverbank.

At least three saltwater crocodiles inhabit the area under the Captain Cook Highway bridge over the river, about 7km south of Port ­Douglas.

The reptiles, which ­occasionally bask next to each other, are regularly snapped by passers-by.

Hartleys Crocodile Adventures wildlife manager Drew Melville said the trio of predators may be too small to take a person.

But, he said, that did not rule out a much larger croc stalking the area.

"I would not recommend anyone go swimming in the Mowbray River or its tributaries," he said.

"There's the possibility that there is a large male croc in the there and no one has seen him.

"So you've got Dickson Inlet, where there is definitely one over 4m plus.

"And of course, even rivers like the Daintree or Coopers Creek are well within the travelling range of larger crocs."

Department of Environment and Heritage Protection rangers were last night surveying the Mowbray River and tributaries for any signs of a large crocodile that may have taken Anne Cameron.

Crocodiles that have ­previously attacked people are known to display aggressive and territorial behaviour.

There were several sightings of crocs in the Mowbray reported to EHP.

However, as the river is well within crocodile territory, only warning signs were erected alongside the permanent warning signs at the bridge that have been in place for some time.

Mr Melville said swimming in creeks anywhere between Rockhampton to the tip of Cape York was definitely not advisable.

"And that would be a tragedy, indeed, if this is what has happened (with the elderly woman)," he said.

The suspected fatal attack follows the death of Cairns spearfisherman Warren ­Hughes, 35, who was taken by a crocodile near the mouth of the Russell River in March.

FNQ AUTHORITY IDEA REJECTED
THE Palaszczuk government will not support basing a Queensland Crocodile Authority in Cairns.

Bureaucrats from the ­Department of Environment and Heritage Protection fronted a public hearing in Brisbane on Wednesday to discuss ­Katter's Australian Party's draft legislation, the Safer ­Waterways Bill. One component of the Bill includes the creation of a crocodile authority, based in Cairns, which would be tasked with issuing permits for legal crocodile egg harvesting in Queensland and to landholders to manage crocodiles on their own land.

But the EHP officials, in their official submission to the inquiry examining the Bill, want the requirement for ­public servants employed by the authority to live and work in Cairns to be removed.

The department's Dr Beth Clouston said having staff based in Cairns would limit ­officers' capacity to respond to croc sightings in a timely and efficient manner.

EHP also says there may be "industrial relations implications" relating to forcing staff to live and work in Cairns.

Surf Life Saving Queensland boss says swimmers not safe from crocodile attack

A SURF Life Saving boss is warning swimmers they should no longer feel safe in some of our most popular waterways — as crocodile numbers keep rising.

A SURF Life Saving Queensland boss says swimmers can no longer feel safe in the state's waterways due to the increased threat of crocodile attack.

SLSQ chief operating officer George Hill yesterday told a public hearing into Katter's Australia Party's proposed Safer Waterways Bill there was a growing risk to both Surf Life Saving staff and the general public at Queensland beaches.

"We have seen a growing trend and a higher risk to our community," he said.

"The reality is that there's tourists sunbaking and there's crocodiles (basking) less than 30m apart.

"It's a risk that has the potential to have a catastrophic result for the community."

The revelation comes after The Courier-Mail this week revealed crocodile sightings in the state have increased by more than 38 per cent in the past two years.

Mr Hill said while the service did not support killing crocodiles, it did want to see them removed from popular swimming areas.

"Both those levels (life guards and life savers) have identified a trend of seeing larger crocodiles in what we call public space, waterways where people can frequent. And when I say larger crocodiles, over the past five years the trend has certainly grown to see 3m to 4m crocodiles.

"(This) is in public spaces such as Port Douglas Beach, Four Mile Beach, there was one there last week that we closed the beach for, Palm Cove, Trinity Beach, Forest Beach in Ingham, Townsville's Strand."

Mr Hill said members were becoming hesitant to patrol waterways north of Townsville and that he was particularly concerned for the safety of SLSQ staff manning stinger nets in north Queensland.

"Unfortunately crocodiles can enter those (nets) and ... we have situations where every morning in summer our lifesavers and lifeguards will drag those nets for stingers.

"But they're going in knowing there may or may not be a crocodile in there."

Mr Hill said he supported changes to the state's crocodile management plan if it meant safer waterways for swimmers.

"We need to protect our environment but certainly we need to protect the public and our users and future surf life savers and people that frequent our waters," he said.

"While we don't want to see the crocs harmed in any way, we certainly do support the removal of any crocodile that's in a public space that could be a risk to anyone in the community whether it's a bite or a fatal attack."

The proposed KAP Bill would introduce a number of new measures including controlled crocodile culls and egg harvesting.

A spokesman for Australia Zoo also spoke at the hearing and slammed the Bill saying it was poorly researched and would not make waterways any safer.

"This legislation will be disastrous for humans and for crocodiles," he said.

"The environmental research has been basic and sketchy."

Management of killer crocodiles surfaces as a poll flashpoint

The management of the state's crocodile population is shaping up to be a major election issue with 477 crocodiles sightings reported to the environment department so far this year, a significant jump from 345 in the same period of 2015.

Fishing Port Douglas owner Lynton Heffer has been fishing in North Queensland for 22 years and said crocodile behaviour had changed, particularly over the past two years.

"In the past couple of years we've certainly seen them more frequently in the more public areas," he said. "I don't think they're scared of human activity anymore and they're encroaching on areas they haven't been in the past.

"It's not behaviour you'd usually see."

Ian Jenkins, who owns Snakes Downunder Reptile Park and Zoo near Childers, said the crocodile population was spreading out.

"I think the likelihood of crocs moving further south than they traditionally have been is going to keep increasing," he said. "They don't read maps and they can travel considerable distances.

"I think crocs are looking to expand their territory so they are moving further afield and moving into areas they're not traditionally known to be."

Both Mr Jenkins and Mr Heffer were sceptical of calls for a cull saying it would create complacency and would never guarantee complete safety in waterways.

Cairns was the most common area for croc sightings so far this year with 108 reports, followed by the Cassowary Coast 66, Townsville 61 and Douglas 50.

Brenton Gangemi, who runs Snapping Tours on the Johnstone River at Innisfail, said he generally saw four to five crocodiles on each tour.

"I don't necessarily think there's an increase in crocodile numbers but there are certainly more people around to see them," he said. "There are always going to be crocodiles so people just need to be vigilant.

"Even if you cull the crocs, you've still got bull sharks and stingers to contend with."

Mount Isa MP Robbie Katter is leading the push to introduce controlled culls and legalise crocodile egg harvesting.

"It appears the crocs are not only growing in numbers but everyone here would agree they're much bolder and not scared of human presence," he said. "Undeniably there must be greater numbers because there are crocs in the river systems where we swim, pushing up into areas where they've never been in modern memory."

Shadow environment minister Christian Rowan said problem crocodiles would be shot on sight under the LNP's proposed crocodile management policy, with zones drawn up to decide the appropriate action but his government did not support a cull.

"From anecdotal reports there seems to have been a significant increase (in sightings)," he said.

"Absolutely it's a significant issue in the North and it will be a significant election issue."

The State Government is undertaking a $2.7 million, three-year crocodile population survey and monitoring program to track croc numbers.

Environment Minister Steven Miles said targeted crocodile operations had doubled under the Labor Government.

"We have made the wildlife officers, who do a very difficult and sometimes unsafe job, permanent," he said. "They were temporary officers under the (previous government)."

An EHP spokesman stressed increased sightings were not necessarily due to a population increase and could be attributed to multiple sightings of one animal or could be a case of mistaken identity.

Croc suspected of killing dementia patient euthanized

The crocodile believed to have killed a dementia patient who wandered away from her nursing home in northeast Australia was no local, according to regional newspaper The Cairns Post.

Officials confirmed on Monday, according to the Post, that a 14-foot saltwater crocodile had been found in the Mowbray River, near Port Douglas in Queensland, where 79-year-old Anne Cameron disappeared last week.

Authorities said human remains found inside the crocodile, which was later euthanized, confirmed it had attacked Cameron.

Police first found human remains, along with Cameron's clothes and walking stick, near a creek bank almost a week ago, two days after she wandered from her a nursing home. Members of her family have said she likely became disoriented in the forest while going for one of her regular walks.

The Cairns Post on Tuesday cited an official with Australia's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection as saying a similar-sized croc had been spotted in the region in recent weeks, and that it was not known to locals.

"It may well be that it's just come in as an opportunistic (predator)," he told the newspaper.

Department operations manager for conservation Chris Artiemiew told the Post that the crocodile's suspicious behavior tipped those hunting for it off.

"The behavioural tendencies we picked up were very subtle, but basking during the day — that usually means that it had had a rather large feed — and also just boldness, being out during the day," he told the Cairns newspaper.

Crocodiles are territorial, and killer crocs are usually caught near the scene of attacks.

Government wildlife director Michael Joyce had said soon after Cameron's death that he was confident of catching the crocodile, and urged the public to report any "abnormal" crocodile behavior.

This 10-Foot-Long Jurassic Crocodile Once Menaced Britain's Seas

A reanalysis of a heavily damaged fossil found nearly 150 years ago has revealed the existence of an absolute monster of the ancient seas. And the discovery of the new species, nicknamed the "Melksham Monster," shows that an extinct group of ancient reptiles appeared on Earth millions of years earlier than previously thought.

Meet Leldraan melkshamensis, a 10-foot-long marine crocodile that lived 163 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic era. Not only is it a new species of ancient crocodile, it represents an entirely new genus of extinct reptiles. Prior to this discovery, scientists thought that the sub-family of prehistoric crocodiles to which this creature belonged, Geosaurini, emerged around 152 million years ago. But a reanalysis of this fossil shows that this group arose millions of years earlier, during the Middle Jurassic.

Modern crocodiles aren't directly descended from these beasts, but they do share a common ancestor. The new species, as described in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, featured long, powerful jaws and large serrated teeth which it likely used to chomp down on various prey, including prehistoric squid. Leldraan melkshamensis, which prowled the warm, shallow seas of what is now Europe, would have been one of the top aquatic predators of Jurassic Britain. Its nickname, the "Melksham Monster," comes from the English town in which it was found.

These findings were derived from a badly damaged fossil that was discovered back in 1875 in England's Oxford Clay Formation. A research team led by Davide Foffa, a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, was able to identify the new species by analyzing its skull, lower jaw, and teeth.

"It's not the prettiest fossil in the world, but the Melksham Monster tells us a very important story about the evolution of these ancient crocodiles and how they became the apex predators in their ecosystem," said Foffa in a press release. "Without the amazing preparation work done by our collaborators at the Natural History Museum, it would not have been possible to work out the anatomy of this challenging specimen."

Indeed, pulling the specimen from the rock was an ordeal unto itself. The fossil was completely enveloped in a super-hard rock, with veins of calcite running through it. The preparation team, led by Mark Graham from the NHM, had to remove these minerals by force using carbon steel tipped chisels and grinding wheels equipped with industrial-grade diamonds. It took many hours and weeks, and considerable care had to be taken to avoid damaging the bits of exposed fossil.

"This was one tough old croc in life and death!" said Graham.