ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja has publicly criticised Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby's Joyce's decision to move hundreds of Canberra-based public servants to Armidale.
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Mr Joyce has announced 170 public servants at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority would move to his own electorate of New England, creating a new "centre of excellence".
But the decision was made before a cost-benefit analysis of the proposal – ordered by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull – was completed and in the midst of an election battle to secure his seat.
The move was slammed by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr as an "outrageous display of pork barrelling" and "breathtaking in its arrogance".
On Monday, Mr Seselja criticised Mr Joyce's announcement and said it was "bad news" for Canberra.
"I think it hasn't been properly considered," he told ABC local radio.
"Unfortunately what some members of Parliament, some ministers in this case, don't seem to appreciate is the great level of expertise that resides in Canberra.
"That does not mean there are not good people working in the public service in the other parts of the country, there are."
Mr Seselja said he hoped the move would be scrapped after the election and further consideration.
"I don't believe it should happen," he said. "There is a particular expertise when it comes to public administration in Canberra and that's why I don't think this decision will work all that well."
Mr Seselja has written to the Public Service Commissioner to ensure public servants who do not wish to relocate to Armidale are supported and transferred to other areas of the workforce.
Animal Medicines Australia, CropLife Australia, the National Farmers Federation and public service unions have all opposed the move.
On Sunday, National Farmers Federation members voted against the plan fearing the long-term ramifications of the move had not been considered.
"Many of the 170 staff at the APVMA are highly technical, specialist regulatory scientists whose expertise cannot be easily replaced if they choose to accept a redundancy package," chief executive Simon Talbot said.
"This loss of capacity could add years to approval time frames, which are already failing to meet statutory requirements."
Last week, federal shadow agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon said Mr Joyce made the announcement without waiting for the results of a cost-benefit analysis.
"I think Barnaby Joyce, under pressure in his own electorate, has left the reservation here," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"The Prime Minister obviously made clear he didn't want this done without a cost-benefit analysis. We've had no such report and yet Barnaby Joyce has gone and made this announcement."
Mr Joyce has said any move to Armidale would be voluntary .
"There is some apprehensiveness from some, there always is," he said. "We're not asking people to move to Kathmandu or Timbuktu.
"When they started moving departments to Canberra, Canberra wasn't there, here we have a beautiful, vibrant, excited, cultivated and well established city and also great for families."
