Australia will wargame the arrival of a bird flu strain that's ravaging wildlife overseas, but some say it's about a year too late.
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Agriculture ministers from around the country have agreed to hold a national preparedness exercise amid fears the deadly H5 strain could reach Australia within months.
Australia is the last continent to be free of the strain, which has caused mass deaths worldwide in poultry, wild birds and other wildlife including seals and sea lions.
Scientists have warned it's most likely to arrive with migratory birds that will be heading for the nation's shores this spring.
There's no date yet for the exercise and few details about what it will involve but ministers who met this week say it will promote better collaboration between agriculture, environment and health agencies.
The Invasive Species Council has long been calling for scenario planning to get all relevant agencies and stakeholders ready and it's happy that will finally happen.
"This is something that should have happened a year ago, when the government got a risk assessment saying the impacts of this disease on our wild birds would be catastrophic," campaigner Jack Gough has told AAP.
"It should have been a priority then. It means we are behind the eight ball but it's good that this has happened."
Mr Gough is happy there are signs of increased focus by the federal biosecurity agency, but has repeated criticism that environment ministers have been late to the party and must step up.
"We are still a long way from having the level of funding, focus, planning and awareness that is needed to limit what could be a wildlife massacre if it turns up."
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt recently promised $7 million to boost Australia's readiness for H5, which is different to the bird flu strains currently affecting poultry producers in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.
He says H5 is much more serious than the others, which have forced the mass culling of chickens to limit spread and impacts on chicken and egg producers.
The minister says the $7 million promised so far for H5 is "a good investment at this point in time" but more will be done if that's the advice from biosecurity experts.
Australian Associated Press
