Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Hansard source

I want to thank our member for Hasluck and the other Western Australians in this place, as well as other members, because I know a lot of people are really interested in and concerned about this H5 bird flu detection in wildlife in Western Australia. I want to reassure members that we are taking this very seriously, and, importantly, we're also acting.

As I advised here yesterday, there are now two confirmed cases of the H5 bird flu in migratory birds. Both were located in an isolated area in WA's Esperance region. I repeat, at this time, there is no evidence of any mass mortalities. There is no evidence currently of any infections in our poultry or our agricultural systems, and there is a low risk to human health.

As I have said repeatedly, with the global spread of H5 bird flu, we cannot stop migratory birds from bringing the virus to our shores. That's why we have been preparing and working around the clock with a swift and coordinated response. We've enacted our national biosecurity response arrangements, with the Western Australian government managing the on-ground response. We have enhanced surveillance activities that have been implemented in collaboration with industry, with veterinarians, with wildlife carers and with local communities. Further tests are currently being undertaken by the Western Australian government, and we'll work with them to provide an update as soon as the initial test results become available. Our technical experts continue to meet on a regular basis and will guide the next steps in our response as more information, such as testing results, becomes available.

Enacting this swift response is part of our government's significant work to bolster our preparedness, response and capabilities to the H5 bird flu, because, of course, we have seen the devastating impact that this has had globally in wildlife populations. Part of delivering over $2 billion in additional biosecurity resourcing since we've come to government has included more than $113 million specifically towards our H5 bird flu preparations. This includes investments that we've made to strengthen early detection surveillance, and we've seen that working, and to deploy rapid response equipment in every state and territory. It is work that has been recognised by both our wildlife and our agriculture industries. Doctor Carol Booth from the Invasive Species Council said,

We are pleased to see the serious and rapid government response to this detection. The preparation, planning and coordination over the past 2 years mean Australia is in a strong position to respond.

I also want to reiterate today my thanks to the Australian public. Ordinary Australians have been incredibly diligent in reporting sick birds, and they are our first line of response in our biosecurity system. If you see sick or dead birds or other animals that are dead, please do not touch them. Avoid contact, make a record of what you see and where you see it, and contact birdflu.gov.au.

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