NT Government’s artificial reef project may ship in Chinese steel

RESOURCES Minister Paul Kirby has been grilled about plans to use Chinese steel in the government’s $8.3 million Top End artificial reefs project

Minister for Primary Industry and Resources, Paul Kirby inspects the construction of artificial reefs being built at Shorecast in East Arm. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford.

RESOURCES Minister Paul Kirby has been grilled about plans to use Chinese steel in the government’s $8.30 million project to build and install artificial reefs in Top End waters.

Mr Kirby made an announcement on Monday that the government had awarded the $8.30 million contract to build and install the four artificial reefs to NT-based company Shorecast and WA-based company Subcon.

The reefs are expected to be completed by the end of the year and installed in waters in the Greater Darwin region to boost recreational fishing.

However, documents obtained by the NT News shows that Subcon intends to ship in 70 of the 80 tonnes of steel they need to build the reef’s modular components.

Shorecast started concrete pours this month and will construct about 100 separate steel and concrete modules.

When pressed about the Chinese steel during a press conference today, Mr Kirby said he only recently become aware that some of the steel may come from China.

“I can’t tell you the exact figures of how much will come from China but the majority of the spend will be made locally,” he said.

Mr Kirby also said he couldn’t provide the figure for how much of the $8.3 million would be invested in local businesses.

But he said he still had confidence in the government’s Buy Local Plan.

Subcon project manager Toby Roe said they had not received any offers to get the steel supplied from local companies.

Project manager Toby Roe with some of the artificial reefs being built at Shorecast in East Arm. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

“At the moment the contract is for the majority of the steel fish towers to come from China,” he said.

“The steel component of the reef is a reasonably small, just a smidge over 10 per cent of the value of the whole project.

“The steel also makes up a very small portion of the whole reef structure as well.

“Each of these reef components are 23 tonnes and we’re doing 100, so there’s 2,300 tonnes roughly of concrete going into this from Territory crews and there’s 100 tonne of steel products going in that are coming in from China.”