Australia boosts $145 million funding to protect native wildlife amid H5 avian influenza threat

The Australian Government allocates an additional $145 million to enhance surveillance, response, and habitat resilience to prevent the spread of H5 avian influenza and safeguard vulnerable native species.

The Australian Government has increased funding to prepare for a possible H5 avian influenza outbreak, with an extra $145 million aimed at strengthening surveillance, response capacity and wildlife protection. Officials say the priority is to reduce the impact on native species if the virus spreads more widely through the country’s ecosystems.

Of the new allocation, $20 million will extend measures for species already considered vulnerable, including work in Commonwealth-managed national parks. That support is intended to help affected populations recover and to improve resilience for species assessed as being at elevated risk, among them the greater crested tern, long-nosed fur seal, little penguin, brown booby and Christmas Island frigatebird.

According to the Environment Department, the wider response includes more than $47 million for environmental preparedness, covering wildlife risk analysis, decision-support tools and response planning. Separate Parks Australia funding is being used to improve habitat resilience in places such as Ashmore Reef, Coral Sea, Norfolk Island and Kakadu, including invasive species control and remote surveillance.

The government says H5 bird flu has been detected in Australian wildlife, but not in poultry or the agricultural system. It adds that the risk to people remains low, and that a national wildlife risk framework will guide the use of the funds.