Urgent notice - Update 8 June 2012 - Snakebusters trading as normal - all licences restored by Supreme Court of Appeal. Further details to be published at end 2012 - earlier notices below:
Urgent notice - Update 3 April 2012 - Snakebusters trading:
Raymond Hoser, the director of Snakebusters
has had his reptile displaying permit unlawfully shut down by the Victorian Government on 9 March 2012.
However, to maintain services, all essential functions have been transferred to the licences of others who work with Snakebusters, meaning that all bookings from 1 April 2012 are secure and will be fulfilled as usual. There is no need for people to take risks and seek alternative suppliers, noting that Snakebusters alone have a long-term perfect safety record.
The attack on Hoser and the Snakebusters business is a result of the fact that the regulator (DSE) is also the main business competitor of Snakebusters and because they cannot match our standards, they have sought to improperly close us down instead.
Please note that the DSE and their associated entity have had numerous safety breaches in the form of near fatal-snakebites and other incidents including a case in 2007, when DSE licenced snake handler Ron Siggins died from Snakebite. Snakebusters by contrast have a PERFECT SAFETY RECORD!
Lodge your complaint about the unlawful attacks on Snakebusters to the following people:
Ryan Smith –
The (Yes) Minister in charge of the DSE, Mobile: 0448-046-657, Electorate Office Phone: (03) 9637 8890 or Ministerial Office Phone (at DSE) (03) 9870 7396
Lisa Neville –
ALP Shadow Minster for the Environment Phone: (03) 5248 3462
Don
Nardella (MP) – 0418-104-007
Daniel Andrews, ALP Opposition Leader – 9548-5644
In an unexpected turn of events, the Melbourne Zoo and their controlling government authority, the Department of Sustainability and Environment have issued a notice on Raymond Hoser, the licencee for Snakebusters, cancelling their operating licences and banning the company from doing any live wildlife displays.
This notice was
illegal as it is a breach of “competitive neutrality laws” in that the
regulator is also the main competitor of the company Snakebusters and hence in
theory has no legal right to issue such a notice.
However both
the DSE and Zoos Victoria enforce the laws as they see fit and in violation of
the laws they are themselves supposed to be bound by.
Closure of
Melbourne’s only 24/7 Emergency venomous snake removals company resulted in a near fatal snakebite within 4 days of the action, and this licence has already been returned to the Snake Man Raymond Hoser!
Snakebusters is
owned by Australia’s Snakeman Raymond Hoser and has for several years been
blamed by Zoo’s Victoria management for the long-term decline in gate takings
at the three Zoos, necessitating increasing government subsidies to keep the
three venues operating, with last year’s subsidy alone being over $10 million.
Snakebusters, operating as a mobile
wildlife display had been targetted by both “Zoos Victoria” and other less
experienced wildlife displayers (former Zoo employees) for attack because
Snakebusters offered a standard of service the other companies simply could not
match.
They in turn got their friends in the DSE to take
action against Snakebusters, culminating in Snakebusters being “convicted” of
letting people hold non-venomous reptiles at displays, even though both DSE and
VCAT in 2008 had said in writing, several times that Snakebusters were legally
allowed to do this. It’s also notable
that Snakebusters were charged, but no one else was, even though most reptile
displayers in Australia allow people to hold live reptiles daily!
Details of
events leading to present situation are linked here.