Australia pledges action on H5N1 after bird flu case | Environmental Issues

Tests confirm that a purple skua migrating to Western Australia was infected.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will do “everything we can” to stop the H5N1 bird flu after the first mainland case was confirmed in a seabird, which means the virus has spread internationally.

Tests have confirmed that a purple skua that migrates to Western Australia’s Cape Le Grand National Park is infected with the virus, officials said Saturday, and a giant skua found in the same area is also suspected to be infected.

“This is concerning,” Albanese told reporters in Sydney, adding that his government would do everything possible to prevent any further spread.

Previously, Australia was the only country without a mainland case, although the virus was discovered in late 2025 on Heard Island, a small Antarctic island about 4,100km (2,550 miles) from the mainland.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the virus had not yet been found in the poultry or agricultural sector in Australia.

“We all knew we couldn’t be free of bird flu forever,” he said.

Human diseases are still rare, but avian flu has killed hundreds of birds worldwide in recent years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices.