NATIONAL: Barnaby Joyce's short-lived ministerial office in Armidale cost the taxpayer a quarter-of-a-million dollars for less than three months in service.
But the waste of taxpayers' cash was the fault of the Labor party, Mr Joyce said, with the former deputy prime minister telling the Leader the new government could have shifted a minister to Armidale, and saved the Faulkner Street facility from closure.
Fit-out for the ministerial office cost the taxpayer some $234,242, according to a response to parliamentary estimates.
The facility opened in "late February" 2022, and closed on May 22, the day after his government lost the federal election.
A spokesperson for the office of Barnaby Joyce defended the decision, and blamed the new Labor government for the waste of taxpayers' cash.
"The Labor Government has decided to close one of the only ministerial offices in regional Australia; not one of their 30 ministers was willing to host their second office in the thriving regional city of Armidale," he said.
"If they are so worried about money they could have moved in without spending an extra cent, instead, that amount of money (probably more) will now be spent in one of the capital cities.
"Mr Joyce's Armidale office was opened and staffed in late February this year with a minimum spend.
"Mr Joyce has and always will champion for more opportunities in regional areas."
As MP for the enormous electorate of New England, Mr Joyce is entitled to two electorate offices, one in Tenterfield, the other in Tamworth.
But as minister in the government, he was also entitled to an office for staff employed to advise him on responsibilities as deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development.
When the government went into opposition, he ceased to be a minister, and the office and all his staff were made redundant.
Ministerial offices are often based out of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices which are permanently based in the capital cities, which saves on fit-out.
Mr Joyce committed to open an office in Armidale after returning to the leadership of the National party in 2021.
An Armidale ministerial office during Mr Joyce's first term as deputy prime minister cost taxpayers $365,748 to fit out.
According to a response to questions in budget estimates in 2022, the budget for the office totalled $234,242.
It was approved by the special minister of state Ben Morton on 17 November 2021 "in accordance with usual processes", according to the response by the department of finance.
The office spent about half its life relatively unusable, with the government in caretaker mode from April 11.
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