Labor has criticised Barnaby Joyce for listening to a celebrity gardener over chemical and veterinary industry leaders on his decision to move a federal government department from Canberra to Armidale.
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Shadow agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon seared the deputy prime minister over the"ill-conceived thought bubble" which will force the nation's agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines regulator to move into the heart of Mr Joyce's electorate.
"Barnaby Joyce needs to clarify any arrangement he has with Don Burke and why he is preferring to take advice from a celebrity gardener as opposed to industry representative bodies who have direct contact with those who will be most affected by this ill-conceived relocation," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann also piled on the Member for New England, saying it was clear the move was never about what was best for the agricultural sector.
"The proposal to uproot the APVMA is opposed by staff, industry, peak bodies, the ACT Government, the Canberra Liberals, the Liberal Senator for the ACT and, in the past, even by the Prime Minister. But Barnaby Joyce didn't think twice about ripping 175 families out of Canberra, so long as it meant keeping him in it," Ms Brodtmann said.
Longtime television host Don Burke defended Senator Joyce against allegations of pork barrelling on the weekend and said the move was for the agency's own good.
Mr Burke helped to set up the the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in the 90s and went to see Senator Joyce in late November with some suggestions on how to improve it.
"It's true that in moving it into his electorate, of course there's gains for Barnaby," Mr Burke said.
"But if you're a politician, if you have all those dreams of making Australia a better place and the rest of it, you can't do that if you're not in office."
Senator Joyce had earlier justified the relocation to Armidale as making "abundant sense" given the University of New England's focus on agriculture.
The Greens have also excoriated the deputy prime minister after an internal government document showed at best,10 of the APVMA's 103 scientists would move with the authority to Armidale.
The report estimated less than half of the authority's workforce would be expected to move to Armidale in what would be be a relocation mainly of the agency's "scientific leadership".
Greens agriculture spokeswoman Senator Janet Rice said the report showed how "ill-thought" out the move was.
"The decision to uproot the lives of APVMA staff and their families to the Member for New England's own electorate is nothing short of pork-barrelling, but he can't even get that right," Senator Rice said.
Ms Brodtmann said an indicative timeline for the relocation showed it was not too late for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to intervene in his deputy's "pig-headed pork barrelling".
"The Prime Minister must finally find some backbone and put the interests of the nation ahead of the interests of his Deputy," she said.
Senator Joyce's office was contacted for comment.
