DESPITE the relocation ruckus, stability has come to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in the form of new leader Chris Parker.
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The former Howard government adviser will replace Kareena Arthy, who vacated the position at a critical time – as the authority opened it’s temporary office in Armidale in April.
Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said Mr Parker will be moving to Armidale as part of the terms of his employment.
Chris Parker in the discussions with him knows full well one of the key performance indicators is to get the APVMA to Armidale.
- Barnaby Joyce.
“That’s going to be great because we’re going to have the person growing the APVMA in Armidale living in Armidale, drawing to a quicker finalisation the move of APVMA to Armidale which is precisely what we want and I’m glad we’ve started,” he said.
“People have seen this battle step by step of the way, I have been fighting tooth and nail, tooth and claw to make this happen and I’m making it happen.”
During the Howard government, Mr Parker was a senior political adviser in the agriculture portfolio – and now works as an assistant secretary for plant export operations at the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
It’s expected the interim appointment of the chief executive will kickstart the agency’s move to Armidale, and Mr Joyce said his prior veterinarian experience make him ideal for the role.
“Chris Parker in the discussions with him knows full well one of the key performance indicators is to get the APVMA to Armidale,” Mr Joyce said.