Fears are growing a deadly avian disease that has killed millions of animals worldwide has reached the Australian mainland after the discovery of a suspected case of bird flu.
A single migratory wild seabird potentially infected with the disease had been found in Western Australia, the federal government confirmed on Friday.
"If it is confirmed to be the H5 bird flu, this will be sobering, but not unexpected given the spread globally," Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said.
Test results expected on Saturday will confirm whether it is the H5N1 strain that has killed millions of birds globally.
Mainland Australia is the only continent yet to detect the killer strain.
"There is no evidence of any mass mortality at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in poultry," Ms Collins said.
