It's when, not if, it gets here
A virus that has already reshaped ecosystems and livelihoods across the globe is now moving toward Australia's doorstep, and Canberra is preparing for an arrival it cannot prevent, only soften. H5 bird flu — far more destructive than any avian strain the territory has faced before — has been detected in migratory birds along Australia's coasts, prompting the ACT government to commit $5.28 million to biosecurity measures designed to protect native wildlife, domestic animals, and the farms that depend on both. The question is no longer whether the virus will reach Canberra, but whether the preparations made now will be enough to preserve what is most vulnerable when it does.
- A strain of bird flu so lethal it has killed seals, infected cattle, and devastated bird populations worldwide is now edging toward Canberra through migratory birds already detected in Western and South Australia.
- Local farmers like Greg Palethorpe face the prospect of watching fifteen years of work collapse overnight, while wildlife managers confront the possibility of losing critically endangered species they cannot protect once the virus takes hold.
- Unlike the manageable H7 outbreak Canberra weathered in 2024, H5 cannot be eradicated once it establishes itself in wild bird populations — making prevention the only meaningful strategy available to authorities.
- The ACT government is deploying floating wetlands, reinforced wildlife sanctuaries, upgraded carcass disposal facilities, and a dedicated biosecurity ecologist to bolster vulnerable species before the virus arrives.
- Residents are being asked to leash dogs in nature reserves, keep cats indoors during spring migration, and report any sick or dead wildlife to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline — because early detection may be the territory's most powerful tool.
Greg Palethorpe farms on Canberra's outskirts and hasn't slept well in months. H5 bird flu — a strain that has swept the globe, infecting not just birds but seals, cows, cats, and dogs — hasn't reached his property yet. But he knows it's coming. "It's when, not if," he said, describing the possibility that a business built over fifteen years could be undone almost overnight.
The virus has already been found in migratory birds in Western and South Australia. Canberra had a brush with avian flu in 2024, when the less severe H7 strain appeared in the territory. That experience sharpened biosecurity protocols, but H5 is a different order of threat entirely — Palethorpe compares the gap between the two strains to the difference between a common cold and the Spanish flu. What makes H5 especially unsettling is how little anyone knows about how Australia's native wildlife will respond once it arrives.
Because eradication is impossible once the virus establishes itself in wild bird populations, the ACT government has concluded that prevention is the only viable path. It has committed $5.28 million in the 2026-27 budget to biosecurity measures. A biosecurity ecologist is assessing which species face the greatest risk — swans, ducks, cormorants, and the critically endangered Latham's Snipe among them. Floating wetlands have been built in Hume to give water birds safer breeding grounds. The Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary has received funding to keep quolls away from infected carcasses. The Stromlo Depot has been upgraded to handle increased euthanasia and disposal demands.
As spring migration approaches, the public becomes part of the early warning system. ACT Conservator Bren Burkevics is asking pet owners to keep dogs leashed in nature reserves and cats confined indoors — both animals pose real threats to wildlife already under pressure from the virus. Anyone who finds sick or dead wildlife should photograph it and report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline at 1800 675 888 rather than touch it.
Palethorpe's sleepless nights capture the territory's predicament honestly: Canberra cannot keep H5 out. What it can do is prepare carefully enough that its most vulnerable species — and the people who depend on the land — have a fighting chance when the virus finally arrives.
Greg Palethorpe runs a farm in Hall, on Canberra's outskirts, and he hasn't slept well in months. The reason is H5 bird flu—a strain so contagious and lethal that it has already swept across the globe, infecting not just birds but seals, sea lions, cows, cats, and dogs. It has not yet arrived in Australia, but Palethorpe knows it's coming. "It's when, not if, it gets here," he said. "The realisation that, potentially tomorrow, the business we've been working on and improving on over the past 15 years could be done in an instant."
The virus has already been detected in migratory birds in Western Australia and South Australia. Canberra experienced a brush with avian flu in 2024, when the H7 strain turned up in the territory. That outbreak served as a kind of dress rehearsal for biosecurity protocols. But H5 is categorically different. Palethorpe compares the gap between the two strains to the difference between a common cold and the Spanish flu—a shift in scale that changes everything. The H7 strain was manageable. H5 is not.
What makes H5 particularly frightening is the unknown. No one knows how Australia's native birds and animals will respond once the virus arrives. Palethorpe worries about speed. "We don't know how fast it's going to spread once it hits our native birds," he said. "We might be really lucky, and it will take a long time. But that's highly unlikely, given how it's gone in the rest of the world." The ACT and Commonwealth governments have been watching the global spread closely, and they have concluded that prevention is the only viable strategy. Once H5 establishes itself in the local bird population, eradication becomes impossible.
In response, the ACT government has committed $5.28 million in the 2026-27 budget to biosecurity measures. Bren Burkevics, the ACT Conservator of Flora and Fauna, acknowledged the grim calculus: "Once it arrives, you can't eradicate it. So it is very much about prevention." The government's approach is multifaceted. A biosecurity ecologist has been assessing which native species face the greatest risk—a list that includes swans, ducks, cormorants, and the critically endangered Latham's Snipe. The strategy is to boost the resilience of these populations before the virus arrives, so that species don't collapse when it does. Floating wetlands have been established in Hume to give water birds safe breeding grounds away from predators. The Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary received Commonwealth funding to build enclosures that will keep quolls and other scavenging animals away from infected bird carcasses. The Stromlo Depot, which handles wildlife disposal, has been upgraded with better decontamination facilities and more capacity for euthanasia and carcass management.
But infrastructure alone is not enough. As spring approaches and migratory birds return to Canberra, the public will play a crucial role in early detection. Burkevics has a direct message for pet owners: keep dogs on lead in nature reserves, and keep cats indoors. "I hear too many stories of dogs off lead in our nature reserves and attacks on native wildlife," he said. "Cats should be indoors because they are predators and they will absolutely feast on native wildlife. It's another pressure on wildlife that could be susceptible to H5." The ACT has cat containment laws, though enforcement varies. The real power lies with residents who understand that their choices—whether to leash a dog or confine a cat—ripple outward into the ecosystem.
Anyone who encounters sick or dead wildlife should not touch the animal. Instead, they should photograph it and report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline at 1800 675 888. These reports will feed into the government's early warning system. Palethorpe's sleepless nights reflect a hard truth: Canberra cannot keep H5 out forever. What it can do is prepare for the moment it arrives, and hope that preparation buys time for the territory's most vulnerable species to survive what comes next.
Notable Quotes
The realisation that, potentially tomorrow, the business we've been working on and improving on over the past 15 years could be done in an instant.— Greg Palethorpe, Hall farmer
Once it arrives, you can't eradicate it. So it is very much about prevention.— Bren Burkevics, ACT Conservator of Flora and Fauna
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does H5 feel so different from the H7 strain that was already here?
H7 was serious, but H5 is in a different category entirely. It's far more infectious, it spreads faster, and it's already proven it can jump species—cows, seals, cats, dogs. H7 was a warning. H5 is the thing we were warned about.
If the government can't stop it once it arrives, what's the point of all this preparation?
The point is to buy time and protect what you can. You can't eradicate it, but you can make sure vulnerable species don't go extinct. You can catch it early. You can have systems ready so you're not scrambling when it hits.
What does a farmer like Palethorpe actually do differently?
Everything changes. Biosecurity becomes obsessive—who enters the property, how they're decontaminated, how feed and water are managed. One infected bird on your land could wipe out your entire operation. That's not paranoia. That's the reality of H5.
Why does it matter what pet owners do right now, before the virus even arrives?
Because native animals are already under pressure. A dog chasing a duck or a cat killing a bird weakens populations that will need every individual to survive H5. You're either part of the buffer or part of the problem.
What happens if someone finds a dead bird?
Don't touch it. Take a photo, note the location, call the hotline. That report goes into the system. If enough reports cluster in one area, it tells the government where the virus has landed. Early detection changes everything.
Is there any scenario where Canberra gets lucky?
Palethorpe says maybe—maybe it spreads slowly, maybe native birds have some resistance. But he doesn't sound like he believes it. The rest of the world has already shown us how this story goes.