Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones says high school students should watch videos of people dying from rabies to 'educate' them on bats A QUEENSLAND mayor says secondary school students should be made to watch videos of people dying from rabies in order to "educate" them about the dangers of bats. Lockyer Valley Regional Council mayor Steve Jones believes children attending the "upper parts" of the state's high schools should be exposed to a program involving such confronting images. It comes as mayors demand the State Government protect them - and private citizens - against furious homeowners suing them for chasing flying foxes onto their properties as a result of the use of permits to move the animals. Mayors are also asking the Newman Government to take over the handling of problem colonies, saying it would be more effective than individual local governments applying for permits. But Cr Jones said it was "impossible" to address the bat issue by moving them on, calling for culls and an unusual education program about the rabies-like, bat-borne lyssavirus. "I reckon every Queenslander should be made to have a look at a video of someone dying with rabies and they'd soon change their mind," he said. That's something governments haven't done - they haven't educated people. They've tried to hide this because of the 'touchy-feely' people. Cr Jones went on to say that "there should be a program in the upper parts of the secondary school where they educate kids on how dangerous these creatures are." Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Ray Brown said councils were no longer willing to risk facing civil claims resulting from bats and flying foxes fleeing to local properties. "If you have flying foxes in a park and you go to move them on, and you ship them onto a private residence, there's a threat of being sued," he said. Well, there's got to be some protection here. The State Government says legal advice from the Local Government Association of Queensland confirmed that "any action undertaken as part of a permit cannot be the subject of legal liability unless it was improperly exercised." Cr Brown said some properties in Chinchilla had shed as much as $50,000 from their value because flying foxes have found their way to local trees. "The last thing we want is local government - or neighbours - suing each other because they shifted on and who owned which bat," he said. Southern Downs Mayor Peter Blundell also called for immunity, as well as a shift in responsibilities. It is understood one Southern Downs resident - who owned thoroughbreds - threatened to seek legal advice if any flying foxes wandered onto their grounds as a result of council actions - but the removal action was without incident. Cr Blundell said the State Government should directly handle flying fox removal issues. "It really is a state issue and therefore the state should be responsible for it," he said. But having said that, if local government is going to be given the task ... certainly, there does need to be an immunity from legal challenges. So far this financial year, 15 applications for nonlethal damage mitigation permits to manage flying fox roosts have been considered - one was withdrawn 13 approved and the remaining one is still being assessed. Environment Minister Andrew Powell said his government made "no apologies for putting the health and safety of Queenslanders before flying foxes." "The Government will be making more changes to simplify flying fox management before the end of the year," he said. This will provide Councils with an 'as of right authority' to act in residential areas. Councils will also have the ability to apply for lethal damage mitigation permits as a last resort. Wildlife Queensland spokesman Des Boyland said cases of lyssavirus were a "very rare occurrence." "People can live safely with bats provided people do the right thing," he said. If (Cr Jones) doesn't like forests, well, shoot the bats. They're the long-range pollinators for forests, they've been around for millions of years.