QUEENSLAND Shadow minister Tim Nicholls attended a public meeting in Port Douglas on Saturday on the bubbling crocodile management issues of the region.

Nicholls and former Member for Barron Michael Trout answered an invitation from sections of the community who feel their concerns on crocodiles are not being taken seriously in Port Douglas.

It comes just weeks after a public forum on crocodiles was held in the town chaired by the Douglas Shire Council and involving senior staff members from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.

Nichols, the state Liberal leader, told around 25 people a the Sugar Wharf that under his Government, wildlife rangers and residents would work together to to deal with “problematic and aggressive crocodiles.”

Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk has come under fire from the opposition for her Governments current position on crocodile management, including from Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch.

"Labor’s approach has typically been wait and watch for crocodiles to display aggressive behaviour and then think about doing something,” Nicholls said.

“That’s not good enough. Locals, along with domestic and international visitors, need to have more confidence that their personal safety matters."

Trout said Nicholls’ visit to Port Douglas was about ‘listening to the locals’. The Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club is one organisation that wants Port Douglas included in Zone 2 of the states crocodile management area, which allows for the removal of all crocodiles bigger than two metres.

It’s the same zoning as the Cairns Regional Council, which has removed 46 crocodiles already in 2016. Only five crocodiles have been removed from Port Douglas this year despite an unprecedented amount of sightings.

Trout said the crocodile zoning for the Douglas Shire ‘absolutely needs to be revisited.”

“We need to look at what can be done to improve the current situation,” Trout said.

“To have crocodiles on Four Mile Beach is absolutely absurd so we’re here to make sure the people of Port Douglas are listened to.

“We need to empower local governments to make decisions on crocodiles because, after all, it’s the locals that are affected.”

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu was an apology for Saturday’s meeting, but has spoken publicly about the need to reopen discussions surrounding crocodile management in the Shire.

Former Douglas Shire councillor George Pitt, who attended Saturday’s meeting, believes a change in government at the state level would likely see a shift in crocodile management philosophy in Far North Queensland.

“We need to get a commitment from the opposition that things will change because peoples lives are the most important thing," he said.

"We can’t sit back and wait for something to happen."