Northern giant petrels were among the initial reported cases. Credit: Supplied Source KnownAuthorities have reported the first case of local transmission of H5 bird flu in Australia, though the country’s poultry industry remains untouched. Australia had 27 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu in wild seabirds: 10 in Western Australia, 14 in South Australia, two in NSW, and one in Queensland. Camera Icon Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced the first local transmission on Wednesday. The initial reported cases had been in petrels believed to have arrived from the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic regions.