Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says while she has weeds growing in her backyard better than the vines on the $3.3 million Cavanagh Street shade structure, she is committed to “listening to the experts” and not fixing the problem.

The Opposition revealed last week that the government anticipates costs to maintain the poorly growing vines on the structure to be $100,000 a year, which the CLP says is a “huge waste of taxpayer money” and the entire project a “complete failure” more than four years after being constructed.

Asked on ABC Radio whether she felt it was a good use of taxpayer money to spend more than most people make a year on the maintenance of the plants, Ms Fyles admitted that she had voiced concerns with Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler about the poor performance of the vines, but ultimately taking advice.

“I’ve got some weeds in my garden that you know seem to grow a little more efficiently, but we’re listening to the experts,” she said.

“The aim of that trial was to really reduce that heat mitigation that is Cavanagh Street. I think we’re seeing the trees start to take shape [that were planted later], but the vine, I think we could all agree, maybe has been a little bit disappointing.”

She was then asked by ABC Radio presenter Jo Laverty if she was “brave enough” to pull out the straggly vines and plant something that “will actually work”.

“Well, I’m not brave enough to do that Jo,” Ms Fyles responded.

“But I have asked the question that perhaps leading into the Wet Season this year, you know, should we look at planting something else and so the Minister has assured me that she will look into that.”

But Ms Lawler has already ruled out planting a different vine that would cover the structure.

She wrote in the response to the Opposition CLP’s written questions about the ongoing costs last week that there were no plans to replace the existing vine, adding that the government had been undertaking trials to plant other species to “coexist” with the floundering vine.

Ms Fyles did not say what “experts” she and Ms Lawler were listening to.

In December 2020, Tony Cox, the director of Landscape architects Clouston Associates, the firm contracted by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics for the plantings, told ABC Darwin radio it was extremely difficult to determine just how quickly the vines would grow. He questioned the government’s initial prediction of having full cover in 18 months but suggested it would eventually cover the structure.

However, former NT Parks superintendent John Antella told the ABC at the time that from his observations the orange trumpet seemed to have died and suggested it would probably take 18 years to cover the structure, not 18 months.

“I am not being critical of anyone who was involved, but the reality is the Rangoon creeper has been historically known as a rambling shrub and a clambering shrub, it’s not described as a climber,” he said.

“If they wanted a shade structure there, they should have really put an impervious cover over the top of the shade structure, which was heat reflective, and we would have had, you know, a shade structure, which we’re not going to get now.”