Barnaby Joyce has ruled out moving entire departments from Canberra in the Turnbull government's latest decentralisation push, meaning public servants face being split off in individual agencies and divisions.

National Party MPs led by Regional Development Minister Fiona Nash have cheered moves to force all federal departments to justify their continued presence in Canberra and other capital cities or face a forced move to rural or regional Australia, while Mr Joyce played down opposition from ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja and Labor on Thursday.

No pork barreling: Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on Thursday. Credit:Andrew Meares

Suggesting the forced moves of public servants was an effective way to ease housing affordability problems in big cities, the Nationals' leader and Deputy Prime Minister also talked down the value of economic modelling and cost-benefit analysis studies in government decision making.

He ruled out moving the Australian Taxation Office and the departments of Treasury, Finance and Agriculture from Canberra, arguing "the largess of government" should be shared with regional communities and citing the controversial forced relocation of the Australian Pesticides And Veterinary Medicines Authority to his own electorate of New England as an example.