AUSTRALIA'S public service is a "fifth column that sabotaged" the relocation of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) office from Canberra to Armidale, New England MP Barnaby Joyce says.
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A fuming Mr Joyce was reacting to Agriculture Minister Murray Watt's decision to block a unique requirement in the public service that APVMA staff be required to be based in Armidale.
On Wednesday, April 17, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced the authority would not relocate back to Canberra, despite a damning government report that found the authority to have a poor culture and being too close to industry.
But his decision failed to convince Mr Joyce the authority would remain in Armidale for the long haul.
Mr Joyce accused public servants of sabotaging the authority's move from Canberra to the regional city from its inception.
"Public servants have this belief they're entitled to live in Canberra and nowhere else, which is an incredibly patronising attitude to regional Australia and in this case, Armidale," Mr Joyce said.
"They work like the fifth column, the public sector union saw the move as a threat to jobs in Canberra and sabotaged the move, with little regard to the dynamics of decentralisation."
In 2016 a government policy order called for the authority to relocate to a "regional town within 10 kilometres of a regional university with agricultural science credentials" - Armidale.
As deputy prime minister, Mr Joyce earmarked $25.6 million in funding over six years to support the authority's relocation.
Mysterious circumstances
A purpose built office was constructed on the site of the old Armidale Club, which burned down in mysterious circumstances in September, 2016.
Staff relocating in 2017 from Canberra to Armidale were forced to temporarily use the city's McDonald's restaurant because of a lack of office space.
Nevertheless the relocation gathered pace and by 2022, 152 authority staff were employed in NSW and 43 in the ACT.
But Mr Joyce questioned the validity of those figures.
He claimed not all of those 152 staff were based in Armidale.
"At a senate estimates hearing, we were told that last year the authority employed an extra 38 people; 22 of whom ended up in Canberra," Mr Joyce said.
"Fourteen of those extra people were employed at an executive level and 13 are based in Canberra.
"Even the new boss can work from Canberra."
Mr Joyce questioned how the authority could continue to operate efficiently when most of its executive level staff were in Canberra.
Armidale's mayor has concerns
Armidale Regional Council mayor also expressed scepticism over Minister Watt's decision to retain the authority's office in Armidale.
"I have this nagging concern that there is a really myopic view, pervasive in Canberra, that unless you're based in that 2600 postcode you're just camping out, or a mere curiosity," Mr Coupland told the ABC.
"So I really need this positive decision to be backed up with effectively affirmative action to make sure the [chief executive and the chief operating officer] are based here and not in Canberra, and that recruitment happens with a genuine bias towards Armidale."
