The Lawler Government rejected the offer of free advice and products to improve the growth of the vines on the Cavanagh Street shade structure from an Australian company that worked on the world famous Gardens by the Bay in Singapore because it was afraid of attracting more public criticism, government emails obtained by the NT Independent show.
The offer, made by Global Boss International, was in exchange for a couple airfares from Queensland and a few nights in a hotel, but the department rejected it, claiming that the government did not want the media and public scrutiny the small cost would attract.
The shade structure, which cost $3.4 million to build and at least $155,000 to maintain and repair in the 2022-23 financial year, is still not close to being covered in vines, despite being planted close to six years ago, with the Labor Government originally stating it would take 12 to 18 months to cover the structure.
A study also found it is only reducing the temperature underneath it by 0.6 degrees during the hottest part of the day.
Lou Hatton, CEO of Queensland agribusiness company Global Boss International, said his company had considerable success in growing plants around the world, including providing natural biological solutions to iconic attractions such as the world famous Gardens by the Bay in Singapore which they have been involved with for 12 years.
The Cavenagh Street shade structure, close to six years after the vines were planted.
Mr Hatton said offering their services for free – along with free advice from an irrigation expert – would have been good promotion for their business and had asked the government to pay for flights for two to three people and accommodation for a few days so they could evaluate the vines in person.
“Our services, advice, and product were offered free of charge to the current government without commitment, apart from travel expenses. An online meeting was convened, all looked very positive,” Mr Hatton said.
“However, like many government sponsored projects, this didn’t eventuate as any additional cost was unacceptable. The structure was under the watchful eye of the media, [the government said] and there was a contractor appointed who has this responsibility. There was no progress and the shade structure remains ineffective.
“The Cavanagh Street shade structure should be part of the Top End lifestyle by now, providing a green natural-feeling environment while helping cool those working and visiting the CBD.
“However it has, like many other projects, fallen into a political abyss with no apparent action being taken to ensure that it achieves its original purpose.
“It seems that political sensitivities, along with a lack of willingness to try alternative solutions, will result in the structure being what it is well into the future.”
The Cloud Forest at the Gardens by the Bay. Picture: Creative Commons
What the minister says versus what the department said
In a statement to the NT Independent, Infrastructure Minister Joel Bowden did not specifically say why the free offer was rejected: “All government contracts are required to follow the Territory Government’s procurement principles and rules”.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler was infrastructure minister when Global Boss International was negotiating with Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics about providing the free advice, with an online meeting with department staff on January 4 last year and emails exchanged.
In one email provided by Mr Hatton from January 5, a department section manager said they had taken the company’s initial advice about improving the irrigation of the vines, but would need to get more information, costings and approval from a general manager and department chief executive Andrew Kirkman.
However, in a January 9 email, the public servant said the government could not justify the expense of paying for the flights and accommodation, despite having already taken the company’s advice.
“As you may be aware from our online meeting, the shade structure is a very public and sensitive issue within the local press and of course the local Territorian residents, which leads me say at this point in time we cannot justify the travel expenses that will be incurred for your company to visit the site and physically inspect the Infrastructure,” they wrote.
“Although we are still interested in the idea of a system that can be installed that will irrigate the foliage and supply the necessary nutrients to the foliage of the vines from above utilising or adjusting our current infrastructure.
“The best we can offer at this stage is supply you with a full set of plans which includes the irrigation and misting set-up and possibly a video or photos of the current system in place which I could arrange our contractors to take on the next scheduled service, which is due at the end of this month.”
In another email from late September, the public servant said they were now rejecting the advice they were given by the company and would continue the maintenance program they were using until a decision on what to do with the vines had been made, reiterating they could not pay for the airfares and accommodation because of public perception on spending.
“Unfortunately at this stage, we will not be pursuing with the proposal to irrigate the foliage of the existing vine at this stage, and possibly even further down the track, as I mentioned the Cavanagh Street Shade structure is a very a sensitive issue with the NT press/media and local Territorian public,” the email said.
“Any dollars spent on the structure is always scrutinised.
“Currently the NT ministers and chief executives are discussing what possible changes could happen to the current structure to provide the service it was originally built for; cooling the area of the city…
“Which brings [us] to say until a decision has been made from these discussions on the future of the shade structure and vines, we are unable to proceed with any investigative works to enhance the current vines.
“The only thing we can do is maintain the existing vines via our six week maintenance regime which has been in place for the past two years.
“I would like to thank you for your time, interest, input, and solutions you have raised to date, but as I said we cannot proceed with any further investigations to enhance the vines.”
He made no mention in multiple emails that indicated procurement principles and rules would be a problem.
Despite referencing concerns around costs in the emails, Mr Bowden said a select tender was awarded for the maintenance of the vines to Sterling in April 2022 for $99,208 – a contract which will run through next month before going to public tender. The ABC reported that was double what the government estimated it would cost pear year in 2021.
A selective tendering process only allows hand-selected vendors to bid for a project.
Mr Bowden said the 2022-23 expenditure was $155,302.61, with the majority spent on periodic maintenance, requiring after hours closure of the road, with some additional costs incurred as a result of damage to the structure caused by an over height truck. He did not say what the truck damage cost.
The Minister also said that by April 18 this year, the cost for maintenance of the structure for the financial year was $77,675.52.
In March, the ABC reported that Darwin horticulturist Teena Sandford, who the broadcaster said was one of several experts who advised the government on selecting both the orange trumpet and Rangoon creeper vines, forecast the structure to be fully covered in about another five years.
Ms Sandford was also quoted by the ABC saying the vines could be growing quicker if more irrigation was provided.
Mr Bowden did not answer what the government had done differently to grow the vines since they rejected the free advice, and why the vines were not being irrigated properly if they were paying Sterling $100,000 a year.
In April, Mr Bowden admitted the vines were not covering the structure as they were meant to, but pledged to provide “ongoing proactive maintenance” to support the current vine while possibly considering “alternative vines” at some point in the future.
He also praised the “quality timber used” for the structure and that it was “looking beautiful” – because it was not covered by vines.
“Similar projects, like the one in Cullen Bay, have produced successful results,” Mr Bowden conceded.
“If re-elected, we will collaborate with the Department to explore other ideas to improve the growth of these vines including looking to alternative options.”
The ABC previously reported that temperature data recorded by University of New South Wales as part of a $110,000 government-funded climate study, obtained from the government under Freedom of Information, showed the average temperature underneath the structure was 32.1C, compared to 32.7C outside between 2pm and 4pm, from September 2022 to January 2023; a difference of 0.6 degrees.
The history of the ‘shade structure’
The structure was completed in late 2018 as part of the NT Government’s plan to transform Darwin into “a cool, tropical, world-renowned destination”, after a 2017 heat study revealed some surfaces in the city were hitting temperatures between 45C and 67C.
On the last day of October 2018, then-infrastructure minister Nicole Manison said the Rangoon creeper and orange trumpet vines would grow to full size in 12 to 18 months.
The following February, Ms Lawler said it was anticipated vines would cover the structure by May 2020.
In September 2020, the NT Government said in a statement the original forecast period for the vines to reach a “reasonable level of coverage” was 18 months, which contradicted a press release Ms Lawler put out in early 2019.
They said the vines had suffered from an infestation in their infancy as well as overzealous pruning which had contributed to sluggish growth.
In December 2020, Tony Cox, the director of landscape architects Clouston Associates, the firm contracted by the department for the plantings, told ABC Radio Darwin it was extremely difficult to determine just how quickly the vines would grow. He questioned the government’s initial projection of having full cover in 18 months.
“We are talking about a growing plant, and it’s very difficult to determine just how quickly they will grow and, and so forth,” he said.
“Then, the other one too that we need to consider here is, the whole shade structure itself is something like over 1,000 square meters.
“It’s a very large structure, and to even get a tree to get a coverage on such a large area would take five trees and probably 15 years, so the whole project was experimental to some extent. The vine itself…has done well. But we are asking it to grow essentially like a tree, not just a vine. It has to behave like a tree and cover a very, very large area.”
Evil Lawless = one F*** up after another….
Chief Minister Lawler called Lia a lightweight but at least the CLP can grow shade vines. The failed shade structure is an appropriate symbol of the arrogance of the Labor government. Labor will only listen to experts who back their dodgy claims. Experts who do not agree with Labor are discredited and tossed aside. Eva Lawler is a heavyweight when it comes infrastructure failures. No major projects, no medium projects and even their small projects are duds.
Quite happy to waste money on maintenance but more worried about appearances than actions. This has been Labor and in particular Lawler all along. We have a chief minister that has changed laws to avoid being questioned in court. Why would she even think about exposing herself to the truth.
Worried about ‘public perception’ I call BS !!!!!
They have NO qualms about using taxpayer dollars to fund their ‘recreation leave’ commitments- eg – using government vehicles, fuel cards and corporate credit cards for their bloody holidays!!!! Very contradictory actions by an ongoing bunch of dodgy a’holes… wake up NT vote these thieves OUT. …. they make me want to vomit – Evil Lawless has NEVER done anything for anyone but itself🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮
Instead of allowing ego to rule supreme, Labor needed only to put their hands in the air and take ownership of their blunder. Had they done so, they would have allowed themselves the opportunity to move forward with finding a solution. By lying about it, they themselves are responsible for this being a drawn-out issue and a common object of well-deserved ridicule.