FARM groups are pressuring the newly elected Coalition government to outline a clear commitment to relocating the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) into a regional centre or multiple locations, to improve strategic community connections.
In May, the Ricegrowers' Association of Australia (RGA) called for both major parties to make a commitment to move the MDBA’s functions out of Canberra and about 300 staff, if either of them won the federal election.
This week RGA President Jeremy Morton said his group stood by its relocation policy position and rather than the whole agency, favoured moving parts of the MDBA, like river operations or social and economic policy areas, into suitable locations.
Mr Morton said he expected the MDBA’s relocation to be announced during the election campaign but was unsure if it would now be included in the new Coalition agreement.
“Whether or not the MDBA relocation forms part of the Coalition agreement remains to be seen – we’ll just see how the dust settles,” he said.
“I’m sure different politicians will name a town in their different electorates to relocate the MDBA - that’s understandable - but Albury is not a bad place for it.”
In the election, Mr Morton said the decentralisation agenda should focus on relocating the most obvious government agency, the MDBA.
“We've seen a number of government agencies slated for relocation out of Canberra over the last year, including three research and development corporations (RDCs) and the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA),” he said.
“(But) the glaring omission in these discussions is the MDBA.”
This week, the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) added weight to the push saying the Nationals must ensure “localism” is “hard-wired” into the Murray Darling Basin Plan by decentralising the MDBA into river communities hardest hit by the water reforms.
NIC CEO Tom Chesson said during the Basin Plan’s development, former MDBA Chair Craig Knowles repeatedly promised that “localism” and “adaptive management” would be central to the legislated agreement.
But Mr Chesson said those terms hadn’t played a central role in the Plan’s implementation, with the MDBA considered by many to be a remote “Canberra knows best” organisation with a poor reputation for meaningful consultation.
“If the Basin Plan is to have ‘localism’ hardwired into its DNA then it needs to be truly local,” he said.
“We do not have a preferred regional location for the MDBA - however it does make sense for it to be situated across a number of communities.
“Well-paying jobs that are not reliant on the vagaries of the weather or commodity prices are needed in regional communities.
Renewed calls to relocate the MDBA have erupted as the Liberals and Nationals debate final terms of the new Coalition agreement which will outline policy commitments, in the coming parliamentary term.
During the recent election campaign, Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce pledged to move the APVMA into Armidale in his New England electorate in northern NSW, within a year of the newly elected Turnbull regime.
But that controversial move angered a range of stakeholder groups like the National Farmers Federation that were unconvinced moving the APVMA and about 175 staff would improve its substandard performance regulating farm chemicals.
That opposition came despite the APVMA potentially being co-located at a centre of agricultural excellence, at the University of New England, under the government’s plan.
An independent cost benefit analysis report commissioned by Mr Joyce’s Department and conducted by EY will provide a guide for the next steps in relocating the Authority however it has not been publicly released.
But while political noise and criticism escalated about Mr Joyce pork-barrelling his electorate during a tough election battle, little was said about the MDBA’s future fate including in the Coalition’s $240 million agricultural election policy document.
The policy said agricultural centres of excellence would be established in regional areas, through government agencies partnering with regional universities and research organisations.
It nominated the APVMA to move from Canberra but no commitment was given to relocate the MDBA; despite public support from rural MPs like the Nationals Andrew Broad.
Mr Broad has suggested the MDBA - which is tasked with implementing the multi-billion dollar Basin Plan - could be moved to Mildura in north-west Victoria, situated in his Mallee electorate.
He believes the regional city’s location on the Murray River also near the State borders of NSW and SA would enhance the MDBA’s capacity to provide strategic management links and community engagement, to bolster economic and employment opportunities - a core demand of Coalition’s decentralisation policy.
Despite not specifically pinpointing the MDBA for relocation, the Coalition’s election policy does state the government will commence formal talks with other government agencies to examine options for shifting them into other regional towns and cities.
But those talks could also spark an internal rift between the Nationals with newly elected Victorian MP Damian Drum also wanting the APVMA shifted into Shepparton in his Murray electorate.
In the campaign, Mr Drum said Mr Joyce had already moved three RDCs out of Canberra to benefit communities in various States.
He said relocating the MDBA into Shepparton “makes sense” and would bring 300 extra jobs to the country location, in skilled areas like hydrology and engineering, environmental science and policy delivery.
In the previous term of government, Mr Joyce spearheaded the relocation of the Rural Industries RDC to Wagga Wagga in NSW in the Riverina electorate of Nationals MP Michael McCormack and the Fisheries RDC to Adelaide.
The Grains RDC retained a central base in Canberra but its board agreed to adopt a hub and spoke management model, comprising research centres based in different States, including WA, after pushing back against a total relocation.
Rural Liberal MP Sussan Ley has also indicated her desire to see the MDBA relocated to areas where it would enhance strategic community engagement and practical outcomes for vital rural industries like agriculture.
The regional centre of Deniliquin in Ms Ley’s NSW electorate of Farrer is another potential location for the Authority while other Nationals MPs may also want a share in the 300 jobs, to improve strategic links with their communities, also impacted by the Basin Plan, like Mark Coulton in Parkes or Andrew Gee in Calare.
However, a core challenge for the Turnbull government would be deciding which river communities would be most suitable and if the MDBA’s performance would suffer or benefit from being broken up and shifted.
As with all elements of the Basin Plan, another major challenge for the Commonwealth would be winning the ultimate agreement of the various States, about suitable locations.
Mr Chesson said he believed MPs like Ms Ley backed the idea of relocating parts of the MDBA to their electorates and urged them to support any push by their Coalition partner to make well-paid Canberra based government jobs, local jobs.
Mr Morton said locating MDBA functions in regional centres would also improve its relationship with rural stakeholders.
He said a well identified cultural problem within the MDBA was preventing constructive dialogue with irrigators, to ensure the Basin Plan delivered a balanced outcome.
“A number of improvements can be made to achieve win-win outcomes for irrigators and the environment - but a lack of will within the agency are impeding these being done,” he said.
“This is despite the best efforts of the Minister and new CEO.
“The cultural issues are well entrenched.
“Moving the MDBA out of Canberra would improve the attitudes of agency officials, because proximity to the agricultural sector would stimulate them to think more laterally about managing environmental water across the entire landscape, not just locked up wetlands.
"Of all government agencies, this one needs to be elsewhere."
Mr Morton said RGA was largely pleased with the Coalition’s overall agricultural election policy which contained a $4m commitment to set up a northern Australia rice industry.
MDBA Chair Neil Andrew said where the Authority was ultimately based “is the Minister’s call” but it was already situated in the Basin, being in Canberra.
“Where we ultimately end up being located is in the hands of the government of the day but we are already situated in the Basin,” he said.