- APVMA in Armidale receives almost 300 applications for between 15 and 40 jobs; 79 applications from scientists all over Australia for 19 science jobs
- Some 131 applications are from capital city Australians who want to go country
- Regional Investment Corporation in Orange got 300 applicants for 32 jobs
The Australian people have again voted for decentralisation by offering to move out of capital cities to work in government jobs in the regions.
And scientists from around Australia can't wait to work in Armidale, with 79 applications for 19 positions – 34 of them from capital cities.
The APVMA has received nearly 300 job applications for up to 50 positions in Armidale, NSW:
- 131 applications coming from capital cities
- 110 from Armidale and surrounding areas
- 38 for interstate and nine from overseas
- 79 applications for 19 scientific positions.
This follows the Regional Investment Corporation in Orange receiving a whopping 340 applications for 32 jobs, from the local region, from capital cities, from interstate and from overseas.
"The evidence is in: regional Australians and city Australians support decentralisation," Minister Littleproud said.
"Many capital city Australians clearly want to decentralise their lives. They're sick of the traffic.
"Scientists can't wait to work in Armidale, with 79 applications for 19 jobs.
"They're catching onto what the Nationals have been saying for decades – decentralisation of government jobs is a great idea for the regions, for capital city congestion and for Australia.
"They want a better life for themselves and their kids – one where it's easy to drive the kids to weekend sport and where you get home ten minutes after work finishes. They want a life where you can park out front of your favourite restaurant.
"Decentralisation is about equality. Rural and regional Australians deserve government careers just as much as city people do. Regional economies deserve government agencies just as much as capital cities do.
"I want rural economies to diversify and be resilient, and that's another great reason to decentralise government jobs from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Government jobs are drought-proof and create many, many flow-on jobs.
"The Nationals have taken heat over decentralisation from narrow minded Canberra-bubble types and we couldn't care less. Decentralisation is the right thing to do. The Canberra Times can run distortionary stories about us and decentralisation all it likes. The fact is rural and capital city Australians are both keen as mustard for government jobs in the country."
Fast Facts:
- More than 50 staff already work for the APVMA in Armidale.
- Up to 150 APVMA staff will work from the new Armidale regulatory center when the doors open mid-2019. APVMA is the Australian Government regulator of agricultural and veterinary chemical products in Australia
- Responsible for assessing and registering pesticides and veterinary medicines, and managing post-market risk through the review of registered chemicals.
