QUESTION What specific tests were performed to establish that the documented H5N1 appearance on Australian soil was in fact a H5N1 pathogenic avian influenza infection. According to the document 'National plan for the surveillance of avian influenza for human health' (published 22 June 2026) whole genome sequencing should be performed for any samples suspected of pathogenic avian influenza. When was this test performed on this sample and which laboratory performed the test. What are the BioProject, BioSample, GenBank, GISAID, and SRA accession numbers associated with the reported H5N1 cases. If the diagnosis of H5N1 avian influenza was made on the basis of a PCR test rather than whole genome sequencing: what PCR primer and probe sequences were used for such PCR tests; who was the supplier of the PCR primer and probe sequences; and what Ct values were used in the tests performed to establish the diagnosis. On what date was the document 'National plan for the surveillance of avian influenza for human health' (v1.0 reviewed May 2026) commissioned, and by whom. How many drafts or previous revisions exist of the document 'National plan for the surveillance of avian influenza for human health' prior to May 2026, and; on what dates was each draft or revision commissioned; and by whom. Have any orders or equivalent directions been signed to cull birds in relation to H5N1 infection in Australia. ANSWER Senator McCarthy - The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question: Confirmatory testing for high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), specifically H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, was undertaken at the CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong, Victoria, which is Australia's national reference laboratory for HPAI (or commonly referred to as bird flu). This followed preliminary laboratory testing undertaken in Western Australia. Confirmatory testing is undertaken using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to detect the virus, followed by virus sequencing to identify the specific strain and clade. Matters relating to human health surveillance, including implementation of the National Plan for the Surveillance of Avian Influenza for Human Health and any associated testing undertaken for human health purposes, fall within the responsibility of the Australian Government Health portfolio. Accordingly, please refer to Question on Notice 581 asked of the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing. The sequence for the first reported case of influenza A (H5N1), specifically A/Brown Skua/Western Australia/AS-26-1348-1/2026, was uploaded to GISAID on 22 June 2026. The GISAID accession number is EPI_ISL_20479340. At the time of writing this response, this is the only accession number available on GISAID and the sequence is not available on the NCBI databases, including Genbank, BioSample, BioProject and SRA. Confirmatory testing included genome sequencing to identify and characterise the virus. Accordingly, questions 4(a)-(c) are not applicable. Please refer to QoN 581 asked of the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing. Please refer to QoN 581 asked of the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing. As of 8 July 2026, there have been no directions or orders to cull birds in Australia as a result of H5 HPAI detections.