Updated August 11, 2026 — 1:33pm,first published 11:07am
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Australia’s most vulnerable native birds will be vaccinated against the H5N1 flu sweeping the nation, but challenges remain in protecting the poultry industry to prevent egg shortages.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said on Tuesday the government had acquired $2 million worth of vaccines to inoculate captive native species most at risk from the disease.
“We’ve been very clear that we cannot stop the H5 bird flu from spreading amongst wild birds, but we can take action to protect the species most at risk, and the vaccination is now part of that response,” Collins said.
The escalation of the national response follows confirmation of the first mass casualty event last week and as deaths exceed 200. As the outbreak spreads, Collins said reporting would shift from counting dead birds to confirming major events and newly affected locations.
Collins said species would be prioritised for vaccination based on the needs of state and territory governments, which would announce which populations they would target in coming days.
The Albanese government has committed $113 million to prepare a response to the outbreak. Conservation groups are calling for the immediate deployment of a $200 million fund to boost wildlife resilience.
Environment Minister Murray Watt said wild birds may be vaccinated where possible, but doing so was difficult.
“It does take two vaccination doses to vaccinate birds, and it is difficult enough to catch wild birds once, let alone twice,” Watt said.
“The priority here is to vaccinate birds that are … in our zoos and various other institutions.”
Watt added that Australia had increased its populations of captive birds while bracing for the virus to hit as it spread around the globe.
Collins added the risk of the H5N1 strain to human health remained low and there was no evidence it had infected Australia’s poultry industry.
“Overseas we have seen it spill over into agriculture, so we’re doing everything we can do to keep it out,” she said.
The government is examining whether vaccinating poultry is feasible, but a rollout would be complicated. Biosecurity measures, such as keeping poultry away from wild birds, will remain the first line of defence for farms, which are bracing for stock infections.
