MPs from Katter's Australian Party are threatening to block the upcoming state budget if the Queensland government doesn't back their proposal to cull crocodiles.
Mt Isa MP Robbie Katter and fellow KAP MP Shane Knuth say they will block the budget unless the government supports their bill to establish crocodile safaris in far north Queensland, along with other management strategies.
"People think it's unreasonable making threats on the budget, well how else do you get people to listen?" Mr Katter said in Cairns on Wednesday.
"Our obligation is to go down there and vote for the interests of north Queensland, and if people are dying and you can't get them to listen, what are you supposed to do?"
But Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has maintained her government's policies were working in regards to managing the crocodile population despite acknowledging the reptiles' numbers were increasing.
"The department of environment is working very closely to remove those problem crocodiles as fast as they can," she said.
It follows a number of recent incidents involving crocodiles in Queensland.
A 35-year-old spearfisherman was killed by a crocodile south of Cairns last month, while a teenager was mauled in the same area a few days later.
Wildlife authorities killed a four-metre crocodile in response to the fisherman's death.
Queensland's Labor government relies on the crossbench in the hung parliament, in particular the KAP MPs.
However, the KAP would also have to convince the Liberal National Party opposition to join them in blocking the budget over the issue.
An LNP spokesperson said they were planning to release their own crocodile management policy in the lead up to the next state election, due by early next year.
The KAP's proposal includes managed culls, egg collection and movement strategies.
In particular, they are calling for local indigenous groups to run safaris for tourists, as a way of generating income while keeping crocodile populations in check.
They're set to introduce their legislation by the end of the May sittings of parliament, with the budget due to be handed down the following month.
