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