Joel Fitzgibbon | A crazy old week in Canberra

The decision will be devastating for many of our farmers, growers and tourism operators.

Make no mistake; growers can’t get all their labour locally. The work is highly seasonal and often remote. They need backpackers at peak times. The irony is that backpackers who don’t come here don’t pay income tax, GST or excise on the alcohol and cigarettes.

The next extraordinary event was the confirmation that Barnaby Joyce will proceed with his crazy intention to move the Australian Pesticides and Veterinarian Medicines Authority (APVMA) from Canberra to Armidale. Armidale just happens to be in his electorate.

The APVMA approves and monitors crop sprays, animal medicines and the like. It deals not with farmers, but with the big multi-national chemical companies. It does not do research, its regulatory lawyers and scientists check the data provided by the companies.

This work is critically important to both our farmers and all those who consume food after it has been spayed. The professionals who do this work live in Canberra and have their children in Canberra schools. They have made it clear they have no intention of moving to Armidale. Who will do this work when they all go off to secure a job elsewhere?

It takes years to train these professionals to do this specialised work. It’s going to be a disaster.

The move will cost the taxpayer $28 million, that money could help so many elsewhere. 

The third big shock in Canberra last week was Barnaby Joyce’s self-declaration that he will effectively tear-up the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. The plan was a long time in the making and both the work and final outcome have enjoyed bi-partisan support.

The only way to keep agriculture sustainably profitable into the future is to properly manage the water flows of the Murray-Darling. Like any worthwhile reform, it brings some pain for some but the benefits are without doubt.

Barnaby Joyce’s frolic is a dangerous one for both our farmers and our country.