Queensland’s regional NRM organisations met in Brisbane to test their response to simulated H5 avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks, strengthening the sector’s readiness for an incursion in the state.
The workshop, delivered by NRM Regions Queensland through the Queensland Government’s Biosecurity Boost Grants Program, combined presentations from leading biosecurity experts with desktop simulation exercises, demonstrating the NRM sector’s key role in wildlife disease surveillance and supporting the emergency response framework.
Working through real-world outbreak scenarios set across multiple Queensland locations, including K’gari, the Torres Strait, Cairns Foreshore and Channel Country, participants were challenged to respond from an initial wildlife health observation through to a confirmed disease event.
The exercises focused on recognising signs of H5 bird flu in the field, knowing when to escalate concerns, collecting key information and maintaining strict safety protocols.
While NRM staff are not responsible for diagnosing or managing bird flu, they play a vital role in early detection and surveillance. The workshop clarified how regional NRM organisations would work alongside government agencies within Australia’s Emergency Animal Disease Framework.
Attendees heard from specialists representing Biosecurity Queensland, Wildlife Health Australia, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, covering topics including field biosecurity and workplace safety.
Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett attended the event and highlighted the important role Queensland’s NRM sector is playing in the current surveillance effort.
“It is reassuring to meet with representatives of regional NRM organisations from right across the state who are focused on the role they will play in responding to bird flu in the event it is detected in Queensland.
“With 29 regional offices across the state, regional NRM staff are vital eyes on the ground providing significant support to surveillance efforts.
“Long before H5 bird flu was detected in WA, SA and NSW, Queensland has been on the front foot preparing and planning and the NRM Regions Queensland workshop supported by the Biosecurity Boost Grants Program is evidence of this.”
Chris Norman, CEO of NRM Regions Queensland, said the workshop strengthened participants’ preparedness and reinforced the role of regional NRM organisations in Queensland’s biosecurity response.
“Our regional NRM organisations are working on the ground across the state every day, forming a broad surveillance network and playing an important part in biosecurity preparedness under the Queensland Biosecurity Strategy. It’s vital our staff understand what to look for and how to respond if they encounter unusual bird mortality or suspect bird flu,” Mr Norman said.
Bethany Jackson, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Health and Epidemiology at Murdoch University, said the scenarios highlighted the value of partnerships and local knowledge, particularly in regional and remote areas.
“Every scenario showed the same thing: Queensland’s NRM sector and other frontline organisations provide the connection between lead agencies and regional communities. The local intelligence they’ve built through years of trusted partnerships is what ensures biosecurity messages and actions are delivered within the cultural and social realities of communities; particularly across remote pastoral leases, Indigenous Protected Areas, and high-value natural landscapes,” Ms Jackson said.
Regional NRM organisations also received practical resources to support ongoing capability building within their regions, helping ensure knowledge gained through the workshop can be shared more broadly across Queensland’s NRM sector.
The workshop, which received additional funding from NRM Regions Australia, is part of NRM Regions Queensland’s commitment to ensuring regional staff can identify, report and respond appropriately to emerging biosecurity threats.