'There's lots of work to be done': Meet the new boss of NSW's agriculture department

Steve Orr has been appointed the secretary of the Department of Regional NSW, which will undergo a name change to NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development from July 1, 2024.

Mr Orr, who replaces Rebecca Fox, is the current Local Land Services CEO, whose had a long career in leadership roles in regional coordination and development, primary industries and local government.

"It's a great opportunity and there's a lot of work to be done, I'm really excited about it," Mr Orr said.

"The name of department helps provide a clearer focus from industries and regional development in title... we will focus on efforts around those things."

Mr Orr said there were several priorities he would be addressing for agriculture including biosecurity, which would be top of mind in terms of increasing incursions threats in which the department would need to be proactive in that management.

"Climate will be an obvious priority in terms of the impact of climate on agriculture and the support we can provide to the ag sector," Mr Orr said.

He said technology and research to improve agriculture would also be a focus along with helping primary producers navigate opportunities presented by environmental markets with carbon and biodiversity.

"They are quite complicated ... we are not going to tell people what to do but make sure they have a choice and they are aware of the opportunities for them," he said.

In addressing concerns that the Department of Primary Industries will be impacted by government's functional review, Mr Orr said the department's merger was a good opportunity to better connect agriculture with regional development.

"The public sector has changed since I started my career in Gunnedah, it was then known as the Department of Agriculture, it then became the Department of Primary Industries, it does not change the focus that it will bring to the area and will be at front of mind in those priorities," Mr Orr said.

"I was on the North Coast last week on a rice property, looking at biosecurity, here is an industry that wants to grow on the North Coast, so how can we better utilise the regional economic teams to better assist the industry grow.

"There is real opportunity to connect the ag function, biosecurity function and extension function as well as economic function to get good outcomes."

The new changes come after ACM recently reported that the NSW DPI's top job of director general would be abolished under changes within the department and that instead there would be two deputy secretaries where one will take care of agriculture and biosecurity and the other will be responsible for forestry and fisheries.

These roles will report directly to the secretary.

'Where there used to be one band three leader, there are now two, that will be in the market fairly shortly, and we look forward to quality leaders being in those roles," Mr Orr said.

When asked about whether there would be job losses, Mr Orr said there were economic and financial challenges that would need to be looked at.

"What the solution might be, it's too early in my tenure on how we might deal with those issues," he said.

"We need to ensure we are living in that budget but what that means is too early to comment."

Mr Orr who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and spent 10 years in Africa, ended up in Australia with his family in 1984.

He began his role at LLS in early 2022 after previously being responsible for overseeing the Regional NSW corporate functions, which included people, finance, legal and governance.

Prior to that he was involved in the Regional Coordination and Regional Development functions within the former Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) where his role was economic recovery efforts surrounding bushfires and drought.

He was also the Regional NSW executive director in the Department of Premier and Cabinet and held role including the Office of Local Government deputy chief executive and NSW Livestock Health and Pest Authorities chief executive.

He now resides in Berry on the South Coast with his wife Leanne and they have three children Sam, 25, Patrick, 23, and Rachael, 20.