Australian Story, ABC

Does Australia have the balance right between promoting tourism and protecting dingoes?

Featuring remarkable, never-before-seen footage of wild dingoes on Fraser Island and interviews with key players on both sides of this controversial issue, this is a must-see edition of Australian Story (Episode - Monday, February 28 at 8pm on ABC1 - Watch now on iView).

When Brisbane schoolboy Clinton Gage was killed by dingoes on Fraser Island in 2001, wild dog management became a major political issue. The massive cull and strict food management strategy that followed alarmed many scientists who warned of losing a genetic treasure trove.

Over seven years, wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Jennifer Parkhurst, observed and documented the deaths of many dingo pups through starvation. Distressed and powerless, Parkhurst secretly fed the pack bringing her into conflict with park rangers.

In November, 2010 she faced the court and received a landmark $40,000 fine - ten times the amount sought by the prosecution - plus a two year suspended jail sentence.

Dr Ian Gunn, President of the National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program and Adjunct Senior Associate at Monash University, believes "dingoes are now taking second place and the priority from the Queensland government is the protection of the tourists ... the outcome for that is, in time, the whole dingo population on that Fraser Island will become extinct."

Terry Harper of Department of Environment and Resource Management says of the case, "It's provided an opportunity for the department to demonstrate just how serious dingo feeding is on Fraser Island and just how serious we are and how committed we are to maintaining safety for visitors and also maintaining the long term survival of dingoes on Fraser Island."