Shark expert says Tony Abbott ‘doesn’t understand the science’ after former PM calls for cull

‘Tony Abbott doesn’t understand risk, he does not understand climate change, and he doesn’t understand the science when he calls for a cull,’ an expert has said after a shark attack at Coogee beach. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

A shark behaviour expert says Tony Abbott “doesn’t understand the science” after the former prime minister called for sharks to be culled in the wake of an attack at a Sydney beach.

Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old woman, was bitten on the leg and arm by what was thought to be a great white shark on Saturday morning.