Wednesday, 12 August 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:48): This morning before Parliament started, I was a bit late, and the reason I was a bit late was that I was at St Kilda Pier to announce that doses of the H5 bird flu vaccine have arrived in Victoria and are ready to be administered early next week. More than 5000 of our treasured little penguins in St Kilda and on Phillip Island are expected to be vaccinated as part of this program. Make no mistake, catching and safely handling our cute little critters is not easy, but we know, as penguins usually return to the same colonies and burrows, that it provides a unique opportunity for our trained welfare personnel to vaccinate and monitor the wild population over time. Just for the avoidance of doubt, there has not yet been any detection of H5 bird flu in little penguins in Victoria or Australia to date. Even though vaccinations will not stop H5 bird flu from circulating, we know it can help reduce its impact alongside existing biosecurity surveillance and wildlife response measures.

Today’s announcement does build on the government’s support for wildlife volunteer organisations. On Sunday we announced half a million dollars in a funding package for our wonderful wildlife rescuers and carers, boosting access to PPE and boosting Wildlife Victoria’s emergency response services. We have known that bird flu would hit our shores. That is why we have invested more than $130 million since 2023 in biosecurity and disease response capability, and we continue to strengthen surveillance and response activities as the situation evolves. We all have our part to play in limiting the spread of bird flu. Again, there is a hotline to report any sick or dead wildlife that you come across. As I said, H5 is unfortunately a reality in Victoria, but we are fighting it from a strong foundation. I look forward to providing updates on the penguin vaccination process as that gets underway next week.