Australia cannot stop deadly bird flu, minister warns

With the arrival of a deadly bird flu in Australia deemed “unavoidable”, the federal government has announced almost $100 million to “prepare and protect” the country.

While Australia is the only continent free of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, farmers have been warned to prepare for its arrival.

The federal government has allocated an additional $95 million to prepare for H5N1, which has caused respiratory illness, a reduction in egg production and sudden death among wild birds and some mammal species in other countries.

“The awful reality of this disease is that - like the rest of the world - we will not be able to prevent its arrival,” Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Sunday.

Ms Plibersek said the impact the virus would have on species at risk of extinction was of particular concern.

The Invasive Species Council’s advocacy director Jack Gough welcomed the funding announcement but said Australia would not be able to stop the disease from arriving.

He said the funding was a “down payment for preparedness” that would allow departments to “properly (prepare) to save wildlife and stop extinctions”.

“The Albanese government is finally investing a serious amount into preparation for what could be the worst environmental disaster in Australia’s history,” Mr Gough said.

The federal funds include $35.9 million to boost environmental measures and protections for threatened and priority species.

Another $37 million will be invested in protecting Australian agriculture, including boosting biosecurity and scientific capabilities, nationally coordinated communications and enhancing wild bird surveillance.

The remaining $22.1 million will go towards increasing the number of ready-to-use pandemic flu vaccines in the National Medical Stockpile.

The allocation builds on the more than $1 billion of additional biosecurity funding announced in the 2023 budget.

Mr Gough said the investment marked a “monumental change in the way environment biosecurity threats are managed” but that more funding would be required if the flu was found in Australia.

Known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1 primarily affects animals.

However, of the 900 human infections recorded across the globe, more than half were fatal, the World Health Organisation says.

The strain has reached every continent except Australia/Oceania but that is expected to change as the warmer months bring wild bird migrations.

Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said “there is no room for complacency” regarding human infections.

He said the interim Australian Centre for Disease Control was focused on ensuring Australia was “as prepared as possible”.