Australia has pledged an aggressive response to contain H5N1 bird flu after the virus was confirmed in a seabird on its mainland for the first time, marking its arrival on every continent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would do "whatever we can to restrict any spread," following the detection of the highly pathogenic strain in a migratory brown skua found in Western Australia's Cape Le Grand National Park. Authorities also reported a suspected case in a giant petrel from the same area.
Until now, Australia had been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, although H5N1 was detected in late 2025 on sub-Antarctic Heard Island, about 4,100 km from the mainland.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins noted that the virus has not yet been found in Australia's poultry or agriculture sectors. "We all knew we couldn't be bird flu-free forever," she said.
Human infections remain rare, but the virus has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds worldwide, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices.