Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At last some light is to be shone on the shameless and blatant pork barrel that is the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority relocation from Canberra to Armidale. I am absolutely delighted that a Senate references committee will investigate the Turnbull government's corporate Commonwealth entities location policy order, particularly the decision to move the APVMA from this great city—the nation's capital—to the Deputy Prime Minister's electorate.

I am looking forward to making a submission to the inquiry to highlight that the relocation is all cost and no benefit, according to the Prime Minister's own $272,000 cost-benefit analysis. It will cost the jobs of the 85 per cent of staff who refuse to leave Canberra—expertise that will take years to replace and add years to the approval time frames of new chemicals and animal medicines. It will cost the Canberra economy $157 million a year and rip out 365 jobs. It is a disgrace the Turnbull cabinet approved this absurd proposal in the first place.

I am making a submission to this inquiry. I am calling on Canberrans: send me your thoughts and messages that you want to send to this government and this blatant, shameless example of pork-barrelling—please. Sir Robert Menzies will be turning in his grave.