Forthright north Queensland MP Bob Katter has called for croc shooting safaris and hit out at a fellow member of parliament in response to a likely fatal crocodile attack.
The comments came after Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch blamed "human stupidity" for the attack, which was presumed to have killed New South Wales woman Cindy Waldron, 46.
On Monday morning, as police and SES scoured Thornton Beach in the Daintree National Park for any sign of the woman's body, Mr Entsch warned against using the incident to start a reactive debate about crocodile management.
Mr Katter seemed to rise to the challenge later that night, reigniting his calls for crocodile culls in far north Queensland.
"Where there is water, human beings will go near or in it," he said, in a statement.
"I can't believe that Warren Entsch is attacking the people over this. Defending crocodiles instead of people is stupid.
"And I'd like to get Mr Entsch to swear on the Bible that he hasn't been in a river or creek in north Queensland.
"The crocs would take one look at him and they'd be licking their lips."
According to police, Ms Waldron was swimming in waist-deep water with Cairns woman Leeann Mitchell, 47, about 10.30pm Sunday when the croc took her.
The ABC reported the pair was walking arm in arm in knee-deep water after meeting up to celebrate the completion of the Queenslander's cancer treatment.
The search for Ms Waldron resumed at first light with the aid of Department of Environment and Heritage Protection croc spotters, focused on one particular estuary in the area.
They did not believe a five-metre crocodile spotted swimming off the beach earlier this month was responsible.
The department couldn't provide reptile numbers for the area, which plays host to several crocodile-watching tourist operators, but Mr Katter said the population had "exploded".
"We should have professional shooting and hunting safaris working now," he said.
"Human beings have been hunters for three and a half million years. And you may not like it, but that's how we got here as human beings."
In the wake of the attack, Mr Entsch had warned against starting "vendettas", saying it was already hard enough for residents to "make a quid" in the Daintree region.
"You can't legislate against human stupidity," he said on Monday.
"This is a tragedy but it was avoidable. There are warning signs everywhere up there.
"... People have to have some level of responsibility for their own actions."
