NSW Agriculture Minister Clarifies Department's Headquarters

0:00Reporting from The Daily News Now, I'm Corey with the latest in Sydney. The New South Wales Agriculture Minister recently clarified that the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has no single head. Office. Instead, it operates from about 200 locations across regional areas and Sydney. This came up despite a new building and orange being celebrated as the department headquarters went in open six years ago. The department first moved its main operations to Orange from Sydney back in 1992. That shift marked one of the biggest decentralization efforts by any government at the time. Six years ago, officials cut the ribbon on the new facility, naming it after a former minister and calling it the headquarters. Locals in Orange feel strongly about this. Many move there for department jobs and the city sees it as a point of pride and a model for keeping high-level work in regional spots. Those politicians Scott Barrett raised the issue after residents expressed worries about rumors that the status had changed.

1:00The minister emphasized that Orange still has a major presence for the department with no plans to alter that. She avoids the term head office since staff are spread out statewide to serve rural needs better. Recently, the government faced criticism for planning to cut 165 jobs from the department to save around $22 million. Due to budget pressures, the ABC has reached out to the minister for more comment on the headquarters debate. This episode is supported by our sponsor. Salih Pillow is a pillow with built-in headphones, lay back, press play, and disappear into what you are listening to. S-O-L-I-SALihPillow.com