Local government

Following the first detection of H5 bird flu in Australia, the Northern Territory established a cross-agency Incident Management Team led by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to coordinate preparedness, surveillance and stakeholder engagement activities.

Government agencies and local government play an important role in wildlife surveillance and the response to suspected or confirmed cases of H5 bird flu.

Responsibilities may vary depending on the location, scale and impacts of an outbreak.

Agencies may be asked to assist with surveillance, reporting, sample collection, carcass disposal and community engagement.

Staff should be prepared to recognise signs of disease, follow reporting procedures and respond to community questions and concerns.

Government agency responsibilities

Government agencies should:

• brief staff and contractors on the current H5 bird flu situation, including signs of disease and reporting requirements
• ensure staff working in the field follow biosecurity measures, including personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements and hygiene protocols
• support surveillance and reporting activities where requested
• provide advice to staff and the community on the safe handling and disposal of animal carcasses
• promote information from trusted government sources and help address community concerns
• support response activities as directed through emergency management arrangements.

Local government responsibilities

Local governments should:

• identify and map locations where marine mammals, seabirds, waterbirds, shorebirds and birds of prey are commonly found
• assess sites where the public may come into contact with wildlife and identify locations where temporary access restrictions may be required
• prepare resources that may be needed during a response, such as biosecurity signage, barriers and exclusion fencing
• ensure council staff and contractors understand how to recognise and report suspected cases of H5 bird flu
• share approved information and advice with staff, contractors, community groups and other stakeholders
• help raise community awareness of H5 bird flu signs, reporting processes and biosecurity measures
• share current information from trusted sources, including Northern Territory and Australian government channels
• support disposal, cleaning and decontamination operations where requested and appropriately authorised.

Learn more about responsibilities depending on the land type and see which land is managed by local governments.

Community communication

Local governments should help communicate important information to the community during an H5 bird flu response.

This may include:

• providing information on affected areas and any access restrictions
• advising people not to handle sick, injured or dead wildlife
• directing reports of sick or dead wildlife through approved reporting channels
• sharing public health and biosecurity advice from relevant authorities
• addressing community concerns using approved messaging and information.

Resources

Get fact sheets for:

• Carcass disposal fact sheet PDF (364.0 KB)
• Carcass management fact sheet PDF (742.7 KB)
• Human health impacts fact sheet PDF (2.5 MB)
• Stay safe in your workplace fact sheet PDF (2.2 MB)
• Tips for pastoralists fact sheet PDF (5.8 MB).

See all bird flu resources.