Barnaby Joyce has said the APVMA building in Armidale will be completed before the federal election next month.
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"I've been speaking to the people fitting out, and I'm acknowledging the people working over the weekends trying to get the APVMA building done, and they tell us it will be around the time of the elections," Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said.
"Isn't that a great outcome?"
He made the short announcement with the deputy-Leader of The Nationals and Minister for Regional Services, Sport, Local Government and Decentralisation, Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie, during her visit to Armidale on Wednesday morning.
Mr Joyce described the APVMA as the centrepiece of decentralisation.
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"I'm so happy to have Bridget McKenzie here, she's my friend, my guide and philosopher on so many things. She even kicks me up the arse when I need it at times," Mr Joyce said.
Minister McKenzie said regional voters could expect a lot more decentralisation from a re-elected coalition government.
"We will continue our program of rolling out opportunities for public servants and agencies, where appropriate, to head out to the regions outside of capital cities," she said.
"One of the big shifts we've seen was the Murray Darling Basin Authority.
"Many, many jobs left Canberra to be embedded in towns like Griffith and Mildura, where they have a much better understanding about the issues within the basin."
She said what towns attracted which government departments in the future would be part of future government decision making, and one of the critical issues Australian's needed to think about during the coming weeks.
