Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon Julie Collins MP
Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
A national preparedness exercise to test Australia's readiness for an incursion of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) has commenced this week.
Australia remains the only continent free of H5 HPAI, specifically clade 2.3.4.4b, which continues to spread across the globe and we must be prepared for its potential arrival.
The Albanese Labor Government has already invested an extra $7 million to focus on the threat posed by a potential incursion of H5 HPAI.
A series of activities will begin today and run until mid-September as the Government continues its commitment to strengthening national preparedness for H5 HPAI.
Exercise Volare will be delivered in 3 parts and will focus on responding to a detection of H5 HPAI in animal populations, primarily wild birds and mammals in Australia, with a potential to impact public health.
The aim of Exercise Volare is to improve preparedness of agriculture, environment, health portfolios, their sector-specific stakeholders and other agencies to manage future HPAI incursions, and to inform management of H5 HPAI across wildlife, industry and health.
Initial activities will involve government agencies across all jurisdictions as the primary response agencies and are an opportunity to promote greater collaboration between portfolios on such cross-sectoral biosecurity threats.
Exercise Volare will culminate in a scenario-based activity in September and include federal, state and territory government representatives of agriculture, health and environment agencies along with non-government organisations and industry representatives.
Biosecurity is a shared responsibility and specific details about the activity in September will be made available to key stakeholders on the opportunity to participate.
These activities further demonstrate the collaborative national approach we take to such biosecurity challenges and the risks they present to Australia's people, our vital agriculture sector and unique environment.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP:
"Exercises like this are an established part of bolstering Australia's preparedness and capability to respond to biosecurity emergencies such as HPAI outbreaks.
"Exercise Volare will help us identify the strengths in our established response mechanisms and opportunities to further strengthen national preparedness and response capability.
It will also reinforce that biosecurity is a shared responsibility and that all of us have a role to play in addressing the challenges presented by exotic diseases."
Quotes attributable to Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek MP:
"HPAI is something that the government is taking very seriously and preparing for, including through Exercise Volare.
"The coming spring bird migration from the northern hemisphere is a particularly dangerous time. The experience overseas has been devastating for birds and mammals like seals.
"We're working overtime to ensure that if H5 HPAI does come to Australia, the risks to our wildlife - and particularly our vulnerable threatened species - are managed as best as possible."
