WA Nationals promise to relocate Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to Northam

The WA Nationals have promised to spend $176 million to relocate the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development headquarters to the Wheatbelt town of Northam. The Cook Government announced plans in 2021 to build a new HQ for the agency — which includes staff ranging from food and agriculture bureaucrats to shark monitoring teams — at Murdoch University and even opened a tender process in May of 2024. But just months later, Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said the university was too “constrained” and that the Government would instead look for undeveloped land. Construction on the Murdoch HQ was meant to start last year and finish in 2027, with the start of the build instead set to start from the middle of 2027, according to the Mid Year Budget review. This comes despite nearly 200 DPIRD staff currently working from leased space at the Claremont Showgrounds after they were forced to move out of offices in South Perth due to asbestos concerns. Others are working from home. Opposition Leader Shane Love accused WA Labor on Friday of breaking its promise to DPIRD workers and “leaving staff and the sector without a clear plan or timeline”. Mr Love said the Nationals would restore the $176 million allocated in the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 budgets and build the facility in Northam if they formed Government after March 8, likely in an alliance with the Liberals. “This new headquarters will provide permanent workspaces for staff, modern laboratories, an incident and emergency management centre, and on-site research and development facilities such as fields and glasshouses,” he said. Central Wheatbelt candidate Lachlan Hunter said Northam was the heartland of WA’s agricultural sector and the relocation would bring hundreds of stable jobs to the Wheatbelt region. “Less than an hour from the metro area, with regular public transport including the Avon Link train, Northam offers the best of both worlds – a regional base for agriculture and research while remaining easily accessible for staff who choose not to relocate,” the Nationals candidate said. Mr Hunter said Northam had space to grow as well as existing infrastructure such as the Muresk Institute, an agricultural education centre. The Government is also building a $97.3 million State Biosecurity Response Centre in Canning Vale, which will handle DPIRD’s biosecurity operations, including those responding to threats such as the polyphagous shot hole borer and Queensland fruit fly.