Drunks from The Cav Hotel do not like the $2.7 million Cavenagh Street shade structure, Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler told Parliament, while patrons of Roma Bar – a known CBD Labor hang-out – think the project is “beautiful”.

Ms Lawler made the comments after being asked by deputy CLP leader Gerard Maley during Parliament’s question time if the government had plans to pull the vines out and replace them with more appropriate vines that would cover the structure.

Ms Lawler was clearly annoyed by the question.

“Maybe all your mates in the Cavenagh Hotel must come out when they’re drunk and must be concerned about it or something and hassle you about it,” she said.

“So the people on the Roma Bar side obviously come out and have a good look and think it’s a wonderful structure, a beautiful addition to the Territory.”

The comment inexplicably upset independent MLA and former speaker Kezia Purick who objected to Ms Lawler’s characterisation of drunks.

“I find the comments of the Minister to be offensive, inferring that friends of people on this side are drunk and disorderly,” she said.

Ms Lawler withdrew the comment and went on to sing the praises of the controversial shade structure which she maintained was part of the government’s plan to cool down the CBD.

She later said the vines will not be ripped out or replaced with more appropriate vines.

“It is a beautiful structure and those vines are looking very healthy and looking very nice, so [we’re] very proud of that structure,” Ms Lawler said.

In December, a former NT Parks supervisor told the ABC the vines – or “shrubs” – the government planted at the shade structure will not fully cover it for roughly 18 years.

“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,” said John Antella.

“You’ve probably got to wait eighteen years for it to do what it was supposed to do in 18 months.

“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.”