Barnaby Joyce is refusing to release the cost-benefit analysis of his plan to move the commonwealth government’s pesticides agency to his own electorate.

During the election campaign Joyce had announced the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority would move from Canberra to Armidale, in northern New South Wales, in the middle of his New England electorate.

He made the announcement before a cost-benefit analysis of the move had been completed.

His promise was criticised by hundreds of public servants who will be forced to relocate their families, and by groups such as the National Farmers Federation, Animal Medicines Australia, CropLife Australia, the Australian Capital Territory government, and ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja.

Now he is refusing to release the analysis, saying there’s no need to because the decision has been made.

“The cost-benefit analysis is complete and in some areas it’s indeterminate, some areas it’s saying it’s of benefit, other areas it’s saying it’s marginally not of benefit,” Joyce told ABC TV on Sunday.



“I don’t think I will [release it] at this stage, because the decision’s been made by the Australian people.”

Last week Joyce had conceded the cost-benefit analysis did not support the forced relocation of the agency, telling Sky News: “If you’re going to premise it on the cost-benefit analysis, we wouldn’t do it.”

On Sunday, when asked what the point of the cost-benefit analysis was if he was not going to release it, Joyce attacked the ABC, saying an analysis of the national broadcaster would probably say to close it down.

“If I did a cost-benefit analysis on public transport they’d probably say it doesn’t pay for itself,” he said.

“It was one of the processes before the election, now the election’s over, a higher authority has had something to say on this, and that’s the Australian people.”

The acting prime minister could not say how much the analysis cost taxpayers.

The Greens said if the cost-benefit analysis was negative, one could only assume Joyce was relocating the agency to his own electorate for personal political reasons.

“Right now, it appears Mr Joyce is uprooting the lives of nearly 200 specialist staff and their families for his own political purposes,” the Greens agriculture spokesperson Janet Rice said.

“Unless the acting prime minister releases a positive cost-benefit analysis, we can only assume that moving these families over 700km to his own electorate is pork barrelling at its most blatant.

“A negative cost-benefit analysis would be an unforgivable waste of taxpayer money.”

The relocation of the APVMA would bring 175 jobs to Joyce’s seat of New England by taking them away from the ACT.

He made the announcement during the election campaign when he was facing a tough battle from former independent MP Tony Windsor.