The Chief Executive of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) which is being relocated from Canberra to Armidale, NSW, has announced that almost a quarter of the agency’s staff are to remain in the national capital.
The CEO, Chris Parker (pictured) announced that the Authority’s future operating model had been adjusted to accommodate a unit of 30-40 specialist scientists and decisionmakers working in the ACT.
Dr Parker said the ACT office would support APVMA’s statutory obligations under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code.
“Our existing plans for teleworking and an enhanced reliance on external scientific assessors have not reduced our relocation risks to an acceptable level and more must be done,” Dr Parker said.
“We are committed to establishing a regulatory centre in Armidale and 21 staff already work there.”
The announcement prompted the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) to say it revealed major flaws in the “forcible relocation” of the Authority.
National Secretary of the CPSU, Nadine Flood said the policy was short-sighted and not in the best interests of the agriculture sector.
Ms Flood noted that Dr Parker had cited the unacceptable risks imposed by relying on teleworking and external scientific assessors, but said the move had always been politically motivated.
“Following news of the relocation, more than a quarter of the Agency’s workforce quit, including a large number of highly trained regulatory scientists,” Ms Flood said.
She said if the Government was serious about creating jobs in rural and regional Australia, it should begin by creating new jobs in short-staffed Agencies that were struggling to maintain service standards.
