Prison builder Sentinel fined more than $3m for faults over three years
CONFIDENTIAL data obtained by the NT News shows the Territory Government penalised the private consortium behind the Darwin prison 93 times for a total of more than $3 million for faults in less than three years from when the prison opened its doors.
THE private consortium behind the Darwin prison was charged more than $3 million for faults in less than three years from when the prison opened its doors.
Confidential data obtained by the NT News shows the Territory Government penalised the private contractor, Sentinel, 93 times between March 2015 and December 2017 for a total $3,294,268.03.
And while the NT Government has been spared any cost for these faults under the terms of the prison’s public-private partnership (PPP), taxpayers will foot the bill for a further $1.45 million in upgrades at the jail in 2018-19.
The prison was built under a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government paying the private contractor about $1 million a week for 30 years for the cost of building the facility, and its ongoing maintenance.
Under the agreement the Government can charge the contractor abatements for performance failures.
Most of the abatements were charged in June 2015, when 50 abatements were made for a total cost of more than $2.6 million.
Sources familiar with the project say most of these abatements related to the failure of the prison’s sally-port door.
In the months leading up to the June 2015 abatement there had also been major issues with power blackouts, including one where guards were forced to lock prisoners in hot cells without running water or flushing toilets.
Another abatement came after a USB stick was smuggled into the prison and used to show pornography on the jail’s televisions, which were supposed to have their USB capabilities disabled.
The value of abatements between March 2015 and December 2017 ranged between just over $1500 and more than $326,000 and related to performance failures, availability failures, key failures and quality failures.
But it’s understood the private contractor was also slugged an abatement of several million dollars in 2014 for its failure to deliver the prison on time.
NT Correctional Services would not provide any details around abatements charged beyond 2017.
“Whether the abatement regime has ever been triggered, what circumstances could or have triggered it, and what amounts would be payable or have been paid under the regime is commercial in confidence,” the department said in a statement.
However it later confirmed Sentinel was being charged to fix sewerage issues at the prison after Attorney-General Natasha Fyles provided the same information.
The 2016 Hamburger Report revealed prisoners were being limited to two toilet flushes per day because of issues with the prison’s sewerage.
Last month the NT News reported those issues were yet to be properly rectified.
In its statement, the department said a new waste water balance tank began operating in November 2018 and associated treatment infrastructure was being installed at the contractor’s cost.
“This is scheduled for commissioning in April 2019 and is expected to be completed by August 2019,” the department said.
“There will be no cost to NT taxpayers for installing the new waste water balance tank and associated works at the Darwin Correctional Centre.
“The works associated with the waste water treatment plant are the responsibility of the project company Sentinel and any actual costs are commercial in confidence.”
While taxpayers will not be paying to fix the sewerage issues, they will pay for almost $1.5 million in other works.
These costs include $490,000 for the rectifications of ceiling fans following a Coroner’s recommendation, $194,000 to increase the prison’s capacity amid record inmate numbers by converting 40 single cells to double rooms, $80,000 for five new CCTV cameras at the Prisoner Work Release Village and $25,000 for the establishment of a suitable Sorry Business site.
