The bat-borne virus has killed 15 horses in Queensland and NSW since June 20 and has jumped species for the first time, infecting a dog.
Mr Newman and Premier Anna Bligh are at loggerheads on how to manage colonies of flying foxes in areas where Hendra has been confirmed.
The LNP leader wants to use smoke bombs and choppers to evict urban bat colonies and then chop down the trees they roost in.
But Ms Bligh said scientists have repeatedly warned that causing stress to bats by moving them on or trying to cull them will help spread the virus because they would start excreting more.
Ms Bligh invited Mr Newman to a briefing today with the state's chief veterinary officer, the chief medical officer and the head of Bio-Security Queensland to turn his opinion around.
A spokesperson for Mr Newman said the meeting was inconclusive.
"The experts indicated clearly that they didn't know if moving bats and/or stressing them would increase the risk of Hendra," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Following the meeting, a spokesperson for chief medical officer Jeannette Young told AAP that although they don't know with "100 per cent certainty ... there is evidence that stress can lead directly to increases in Hendra virus infection and shedding".
Ms Bligh said the issue was so serious it should not be used for political point-scoring.
"I'm very disappointed to see my opponent making comments that are nothing short of shooting from the hip," she told reporters today.
Despite Ms Bligh's warnings regarding moving colonies, councils and land holders can still apply for government permits to chase out problem bats using smoke machines, lights and foghorns.
Extended three-year permits were announced on Saturday, if councils show they're also taking steps to ensure problem colonies don't move back in.
Ms Bligh said authorities measured a number of factors when deciding whether to issue the permits on a case-by-case basis.
"If, for example, they were in a location that might contaminate water supply, then the public interest in moving them may well outweigh some of the other concerns about moving them," she said.
"Every time they get an application they weigh the risks against the benefits.
"Obviously the risks in relation to the current outbreak of Hendra virus have escalated and that would lift that as a risk factor in their consideration."
Australian Veterinary Association president Barry Smyth said it was clear bat colonies were already under stress, resulting in a much higher incidence of Hendra in bat populations.
"We do know it's three to six times what we've measured in the past," Dr Smyth told AAP.
"The higher level of the virus increases the infective pressure in the environment, and that's probably at least in part the cause of the number of cases we're seeing at the moment, and also the geographic spread.
"There is some sort of stressing situation going on already in the bat population and any additional stress is likely to make the situation worse."
But Dr Smyth stopped short of calling for a moratorium on move-on permits, saying cases had to be assessed individually.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/newman-stands-by-moving-on-bats/story-e6frfku0-1226103737240
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