By Luke Voogt
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has wrongly announced the Federal Government would move jobs from Geelong to a new bio-security lab in Darwin.
Mr Joyce told a media conference in Darwin on Friday the $3.5 million lab would see work relocated, a claim his own office contradicted on Tuesday.
“This facility at Berrimah will help replace some of the work we’re currently doing in Geelong,” the Federal New England MP said.
“So we’re moving jobs and work from Melbourne to Darwin, that’s a good outcome for the North.”
Corio MP Richard Marles described the correction as a “massive credibility gap” between the Agriculture Minister and his ministerial office.
“And that gap hasn’t been explained,” he said.
“Yesterday’s words have raised more questions than answers.
“This is a Minister that clearly has no idea about our regional city and ignores that fact that we are absolutely not part of Melbourne.”
Despite the correction, Mr Joyce’s words showed he and his party “don’t care about Geelong”, Mr Marles said.
“I don’t think there’s any mistaking the intent in his original comments. The Deputy Prime Minister was cheering about a loss of jobs in Geelong.”
“In Barnaby Joyce’s mind Darwin is more important than Geelong – that is the only conclusion you can draw.”
Mr Joyce’s office stated Tuesday the Federal Government would not move jobs from the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong to the biosecurity lab in Darwin.
The new lab would not impact on the workload at the Geelong laboratory given the projected increase in the need for biosecurity diagnostic testing, a spokesperson said.
