The head of Australia's pesticides authority sought legal advice over whether he could keep staff in Canberra despite government policy to relocate the agency to Barnaby Joyce's electorate.
The controversial decision to move the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to Armidale in NSW was made when Mr Joyce was agriculture minister.
At a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday, Agriculture Department secretary Daryl Quinlivan said APVMA boss Chris Parker got advice he could keep a core of regulatory scientists in Canberra after realising the organisation would struggle to meet performance targets in Armidale.
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