PLANs for senior Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) staff to review their own department has been slammed as an "incestuous affair" by Labor Food and Agriculture shadow minister Mick Murray.
He launched a stinging attack on Tuesday after Agriculture and Food Minister Ken Baston announced the appointment of six experts to lead the $100,000 review of the department's core functions - nine months after announcing the review.
It will be chaired by agri-consultant Peter Cooke and is meant to help shape the department's future direction and resourcing needs.
The panel will report to the State Government by midyear.
Members include DAFWA acting director general Mark Webb, Ministerial Agricultural Advisory Committee chairman Peter Nixon, biosecurity expert Kevin Goss and senior Treasury and DAFWA representatives.
The announcement comes later than anticipated, as the panel was initially due to release its findings by the end of 2015.
Mr Murray said the overdue announcement was a disgrace.
"We now have the senior people investigating themselves," Mr Murray said.
He believed the department would produce answers to suit themselves.
"This is just time wasting, money wasting, all while the industry itself is left floundering.
"This seems like a 'beating of the drums' to cover up the shortages and incapable people at the top."
Mr Baston announced the DAFWA review last year, amid concern it had been undermined and left floundering after significant staff and funding cuts.
He appointed DAFWA director general Rob Delane to carry out the review, but Mr Delane this month left the department to take a leadership role within the Department of State Development.
Mr Murray said the department looked like a "shambles".
"The director general has been pinched by Premier Colin Barnett and has been replaced by someone from parks and gardens," Mr Murray said.
"When you look at it, where are they going? There is just no direction.
"We have a minister that might not even be a minister in the next few weeks.
"So if that happens and we get a new minister in that doesn't agree with this review, it could be binned anyway and be a waste of more time and money.
"We need to put pressure on the Premier to sort this out."
Mr Murray said the department needed a clear direction that benefited industry, should "get on with the job" and shouldn't take six months to produce a decision.
"At the moment this is a 'yes minister' approach at its worst," he said.
"This damages our reputation, that doesn't do the world of good for our industry."
Mr Baston described the review as a stocktake of the department and said it was timely given the significant growth and changes to WA's agricultural sector.
He said the panel would consider and provide recommendations on the future role and resourcing of programs within the department, with a focus on the government's Agrifood 2025+ goal of doubling the value of WA's agrifood sector by 2025.
"With the rapidly changing nature of the industry and budgetary funding constraints, it is timely for DAFWA to review and optimise its roles and resources so it can effectively support the success of business in our agricultural sector," Mr Baston said.
"Mr Cooke is a respected consultant with extensive experience working across all the different sectors of agriculture including grains, livestock and horticulture.
"Peter brings a wealth of experience through his involvement with the Nuffield Scholars and his long family involvement in farming at Moora.''
Mr Baston said the review would provide a detailed understanding of the critical roles, responsibilities and obligations that DAFWA performed on behalf of the government.
Jacinta Bolsenbroek
Senior journalist at Farm Weekly.
Senior journalist at Farm Weekly.
