Fears of 'catastrophe' if virus reaches Aussie shores: 'We can't avoid the iceberg'
The high-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain could push iconic species like sea lions and Tasmanian devils closer to extinction.
Australia has been likened to the Titanic, hurtling towards danger and refusing to change course. The warning comes from the Invasive Species Council which has renewed concerns the federal government is spending too little to protect the country’s wildlife from an "iceberg" — a devastating strain of avian influenza.
Although $6.9 million has been allocated for industry preparation and surveillance, just $580,000 has been announced to fund the wildlife response. That’s despite a growing concern the highly virulent HPAI strain could have serious consequences for iconic animals like Tasmanian devils, eagles and sea lions.
“This could be the worst ever single disaster for Australia’s wildlife,” the Council’s Jack Gough told Yahoo News on Monday. The virus is expected to arrive imminently.
His comments follow a warning from Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Fiona Fraser that the virus could have “massive ecological consequences” for native species, telling The Australian it could be worse than the 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires. And in August, at a national forum facilitated by the Biodiversity Council, University of Melbourne microbiology expert Dr Michelle Wille said the strain would likely be “catastrophic” — just like overseas.
Related: How is New Zealand preparing to fight bird flu?
How bad is avian influenza?
The HPAI H5N1 strain has impacted every region other than Oceania, and contributed to the deaths of tens of millions of animals and birds. A 2023 study found 356 species had been impacted by the virus, but the number is likely to be greater now. Mass mortalities within populations have been high — for instance, in Peru around 40 per cent of pelicans died in two months.
Australia has successfully fought off strains of the virus before, but only in agricultural settings. Experts are concerned native species will have little immunity when it likely reaches our shores, which they believed will be in spring or summer, when migratory birds arrive from overseas.
The nation has over 2,200 species threatened with extinction, and experts are increasingly worried animals and birds could be wiped out by HPAI — an issue the Council first raised with Yahoo in May last year.
How has Australia responded to the threat of other viruses?
Gough wants the Albanese Government to commit more funds to respond specifically to the needs of wildlife, like they have when other diseases threatened the agriculture sector.
“With the threat of African swine fever turning up, the government really quickly committed $66 million in 2019. It's just ridiculous when you think about the comparison,” he said.
He added, “This is the sort of issue that falls through the cracks. The Agriculture Department is focused on the response to chickens and the Environment Department is not really focused on what's needed. And it didn’t put in a budget bid for serious money.
“There's a failure in our systems when it comes to horizon scanning for massive ecological potential problems. We're so focused on managing threats to the Tasmanian devil population right now, that we’re not looking ahead to the thing that could wipe them out.”
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Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s office confirmed it is convening a meeting to discuss the issue. “Planning is well underway for a meeting of environment ministers on bird flu soon,” a spokesperson told Yahoo.
But Gough believes every sign so far indicates the government response will be more focused on shielding tourists and the general public from the impending carnage rather than actually protecting individual animals.
“This is such a classic public service response. There’s a lack of funding, so the focus is on communication and managing public expectations rather than actually fixing the issue,” he said.
“It seems the focus is on telling everyone to prepare for the iceberg, rather than actually telling the Titanic to turn around. We can’t avoid the iceberg, but we can do more than just brace ourselves.”
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