Correspondence relating to detection of H5 Avian Influenza in Australia

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 14 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This FOI release comprises correspondence, email chains, media drafts, talking points, situation updates and press clippings from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, dated 18 to 20 June 2026, concerning a suspected detection of H5 avian influenza (bird flu) in Western Australia. A wild brown skua found sick near Cape Le Grand National Park in southern WA tested positive for Influenza A (H5) on 18 June through state testing, and ACDP confirmed a PCR result on 19 June, with sequencing pending to determine clade and pathogenicity. Officials noted this would be Australia's first H5 HPAI case. The material also covers the Heard Island and McDonald Islands outbreak, where scientists estimated more than 13,000 elephant seal pups had died. Other content includes ministerial talking points, the $113m preparedness investment and an additional $11.2m in the 2026-27 Budget, and reporting to the World Organisation for Animal Health. Some pages are redacted under s 22 and s 47 exemptions.