DSE’S ongoing war against Snakebusters - Key points –

• Raymond Hoser, reptile expert with over 40 years verifiable expertise, including major books and over 200 major papers, species discoveries, etc.
• First licenced with reptiles in 1973.
• Published “Smuggled” books in 1993 and 1996, that both adversely named numerous DSE officers.
• First issued demonstrators (display) permit in Jan 2004
• In 2006 Hoser was told in writing by DSE his (Snakebusters) shows were perfect.
• 2006, a new entrant to the willdife display business and close friend of DSE enforcement bosses, tells them to close down Snakebusters, including by sending them e-mail directing them to do so.
• As a result, Hoser was raided by DSE in 2006 and no offences detected.
• In June 2007 Hoser was ordered by DSE to purchase barriers for 5K which he did (as a pit for venomous snake shows), because with devenomized snakes he had (in DSE’s words) an “unfair advantage” against other licenced displayers who daily played Russian Roulette with themselves and the public with their venomous snakes.
• DSE never provided a written definition of a pit merely telling him to get what the others used, which Hoser did.
• In 2007, Hoser applied to DSE, then VCAT for removal of the pit rule on himself as his snakes were all devenomized.
• In the lead up to VCAT, DSE invented a false claim that the devenomized snakes had regenerated venom, to which Hoser produced videos of himself taking bites from devenomized Taipans and the like to prove they were safe. DSE forces Youtube and the media not to play the videos.
• In 2008 Hoser lost the VCAT application (“necessary” was the legal term in question), and on instruction from DSE, the Judge Coghlan wrote “His licence allows him to pass around and let people handle his non-venomous species, and to demonstrate more than one non-venomous snake at any time.” And on another page of her judgement she wrote: “For clarification, he is able to hand non-venomous species to the public to handle”.
• In 2009, DSE covertly photographed Hoser’s displays for “evidence of offences” and found none.
• In Feb 2010, Hoser published AJH Issue 8 exposing DSE’s Sam the drinking Koala fraud of Black Saturday fame.
• In about June 2010, DSE charged Hoser with offences relating to the pits (now claiming his barriers were not a pit) and “risk of theft’ (not defined at this stage) on the basis of the photos taken (above).
• In June 2010, Hoser again writes to DSE head, Ron Waters and asks for definition of a pit. Waters refuses in his e-mail reply.
• In Feb 2011, Hoser was convicted and fined 33K in Magistrate’s court for (still undefined) pits and “risk of theft charge” now being defined as the mere act of allowing a person to hold a non-venomous reptile (as previously allowed by DSE and VCAT – see above).
• Feb 2011, Hoser again writes to DSE seeking clarification of a pit. DSE receive letter (acknowledged) and then ignore it.
• June 2011, DSE state in County Court in front of Judge Rozenes that the case against Hoser re theft is “the act of allowing a person to hold a non-venomous reptile”.
• July 2011, Hoser pleads guilty to charges.
• 4 August 2011 Judge Campton finds against DSE on barriers for failing to define them and drops fine to 12K for the “the act of allowing a person to hold a non-venomous reptile”.
• 4 August 2011, Hoser lodges application under S28A of Wildlife Act for permission to let people hold non-venomous reptiles.
• 10 August 2011 – Terri Irwin of Australia Zoo contacts DSE and tells them to close him down.
• 17 August 2011, DSE do 11 man 9 hour armed raid Hoser’s business, smash things, trauamatise kids, terrorize family, kill and injure snakes, seize all computers, etc and close down Snakebusters with legal notice.
• August 2011 – Rod Warren of DSE was quoted by the newspapers stating that the “convictions alone” were being relied upon as grounds to cancel Hoser’s licence on 17 August 2011.
• 22 August 2011, VCAT orders DSE to restore Hoser’s licence pending full hearing in Feb 2012.
• 22 September 2011, DSE’s Simon Smith writes to Hoser stating “Under the current conditions of your willdife demonstrator licence (Licence), regulation 42(h) of the Wildlife Regulations 2002 sets out that members of the public may already handle all wildlife except dangerous or venomous wildlife.” – which was the very act (handling wildlife) being exactly what the DSE had charged me and convicted me of!
• In October 2011, Rod Warren of DSE viewed images of barriers the same as Hoser was convicted of, but with other displayers and their venomous snakes and he wrote in reply “offences have not been committed”.
• Feb 2012 – DSE argued at VCAT (to the heavily biased Judge Pamela Jenkins) that Hoser’s breaches/convictions were serious (see above), the devenomized snakes had regenerated venom (shown to be a false claim by Dr. Richard Funk, the world expert on such things, refer to his many statements) and most significantly that Snakebusters shows were of no educational value. In spite of a raft of documentary evidence to the contrary, such as testimonials from teachers and the like and that neither the DSE barrister or the VCAT judge had ever viewed a Snakebusters display, she ruled that Hoser and his company’s shows were a public risk and of no educational value and cancelled all permits immediately and in spite of being told of many hundreds of pending bookings.
• From 9 March 2012 to 1 April 2012, Snakebusters have over 60 school and other bookings totalling over $30,000, 2 other full time staff are now out of work as are 8 part-timers and a successful green business is closed.
• From 1 April 2012, Snakebusters have secured all ongoing commitments by transferring key functions to staff who have licences independent of Raymond Hoser, who's operating permits had been illegally cancelled. Meanwhile Snakebusters have commenced action against DSE and Zoos Victoria for 1/ Their unlawful breaches of competitive neutrality laws and 2/ Other illegal activities.
• 8 June 2012 - Supreme Court of Appeal reverses the illegal cancellation of Snakebusters licences by corrupt VCAT Judge Pamela Jenkins - Raymond Hoser and Snakebusters were allowed to trade as normal.
• 5 September 2014 - After a protracted legal battle, the Supreme Court of Appeal again confirms that Snakebusters had not broken any laws and formally sets aside past judgements against Raymond Hoser and Snakebusters. The DSE (now known as DEWLP or "Department of Ecoterrorists With Limitless Powers") were told by the judges on 5 Sept 2014 to pay costs to Raymond Hoser, but as of 4 May 2015 had not yet paid a cent!

A more detailed timeline is here:
http://www.snakes.org.au

Details – Raymond Hoser (Snakeman)

0412 777 211 or (03) 9812 3322