New bosses installed to mop up after urinator episode at APVMA

The troubled Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has a new chief executive officer and board chair, in a move the Federal Government hopes will put to rest the ”urinator episode”.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced the appointments late on Friday (12 July) of Catherine Ainsworth as the APVMA chair and Scott Hansen as the new CEO.

Dr Ainsworth began her four-year term on Friday, while Mr Hanson starts a five-year term on 24 July.

Mr Watt said the appointments were a sign of positive reform for the agency and meant farmers, consumers and chemical users could now be assured that APVMA has a stable and secure future.

“After the final rapid evaluation into the APVMA, we knew there needed to be a change of gears within the organisation,” the minister said.

“The APVMA needs to be strong, well-functioning and orderly so our farmers, consumers and overseas customers can be assured that we have the world’s best chemical regulator.

“The appointments of Dr Ainsworth and Mr Hansen are important steps towards APVMA moving to a stronger future.”

The APVMA was forced to move from Canberra to Armidale in NSW following a 2016 order from former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, who was trying to shore up votes in his New England electorate.

The new headquarters were officially opened there in 2019 against strong resistance from the agency itself.

The forced relocation resulted in a high turnover of staff, including among the agency’s management ranks.

Mr Watt ordered a review last year into the agency, following revelations in a Senate Estimates hearing that a senior executive had urinated on colleagues during a 2021 Christmas party.

The authority is responsible for the management and regulation of all agricultural and veterinary chemical products in Australia.

Law firm Clayton Utz conducted the review and found APVMA to be a government agency in disarray.

Its review uncovered a shocking culture in the agency – toxicity combined with a high level of incompetence – and one that was both captured by industry interests and subject to regular complaints of bullying and misconduct.

Clayton Utz’s report said the forced relocation of the APVMA “fundamentally changed” the agency.

“This turnover of staff would have inevitably resulted in a loss of corporate knowledge, a loss of corporate culture and a loss of experience and knowledge of what it is to work within the Australian Public Service,” its report stated.

The review also found that while there was no evidence of any chemical products being registered inappropriately, registration approvals took far too long.

APVMA’s inaugural board chair Carrie Hillyard and its then chief executive Lisa Croft quit in the wake of the damning review.

The minister then appointed retired senior public servant Ken Matthews to undertake a Rapid Evaluation of the findings of the Clayton Utz report and to provide advice on a range of issues, including an assessment of the legal structure of the APVMA.

Mr Matthews recommended that the agency be returned to Canberra, but the minister rejected that recommendation in April when releasing the Federal Government’s initial response to the review.

The minister said it was too late to bring the agency back to the capital.

“The disruption and chaos caused by Barnaby Joyce when he forcibly relocated the APVMA to his local electorate put a massive strain on the staff at the regulator and, according to the independent review, ‘has had serious impacts on the performance and culture of the APVMA’,” Mr Watt said in April.

“We will not be making the same mistake. The APVMA will remain in Armidale, giving certainty to local workers and the local community.”

On Friday, Mr Watt suggested a corner had been turned for the agency with the new leadership regime.

“Dr Ainsworth has significant experience in corporate governance, risk management, regulatory matters, financial management, agriculture and public health,” Mr Watt said.

“She has extensive experience in administration and board roles, as the director of Racing Analytical Services, and the director and deputy chair of Harness Racing Victoria and the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria.”

Additionally, the minister said Mr Hansen was selected by the board as the best candidate for CEO following a merit-based selection process.

“Mr Hansen is an experienced leader with more than three decades of experience in managing large and complex organisations in primary industries,” Mr Watt said.

“Mr Hansen also has a strong track record in driving innovation and culture change to lift performance.

“I want to congratulate both Dr Ainsworth and Mr Hansen and I’m looking forward to watching them continue to build a healthy culture of excellence within the APVMA.”