Adelaide Park Lands log cutters sworn to secrecy
Companies bidding for log cutting work at the North Adelaide Golf Course must sign non-disclosure agreements, InDaily can reveal. Meanwhile, a surprise minister has been handballed powers over car and motorcycle racing plans.
Companies bidding to cut felled trees into planks from the North Adelaide Golf Course were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before receiving any project details, InDaily can reveal.
An email sighted by InDaily alerted companies to the tender for milling services on the controversial $45 million taxpayer-funded project, saying “further project details and tender documentation will be provided to shortlisted suppliers following receipt of a completed NDA”.
“Tenderers who do not submit a fully completed Non-Disclosure Agreement by the specified timeframe may be excluded from participation in this tender process,” it said.
A state government spokesperson told InDaily it was “commonplace” to have confidentiality provisions.
“Government guidelines require confidential government, end-user, client and supplier information should be handled appropriately throughout the contract management process in accordance with confidentiality and privacy clauses contained in the contract, and that all commercial information is to be treated as confidential,” the spokesperson said.
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“In instances where this is required, it is commonplace for Conditions of Tender to include such confidentiality provisions.”
But Greens MLC Melanie Selwood said “consultants requiring an NDA to even bid for a tender is a new level of bureaucratic shadiness”.
“What are they hiding,” Selwood said. “Instead of listening to community opposition, we have this cloak and dagger business.
“People are angry and they deserve the truth.”
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The tender – which closed applications on September 1 – comes amid surprise news that Health Minister Blair Boyer has been given powers over the South Australian Motor Sport Act 1984 – the laws related to planning the Adelaide Grand Final and MotoGP.
Boyer was quietly delegated to take oversight of the car and motorcycle races with his new job title published in Thursday afternoon’s Government Gazette.
Shadow Health and Wellbeing Minister Jack Batty said he was stunned by the Premier’s decision to add another major responsibility to Boyer’s current health workload.
“This is the Minister presiding over the worst ramping in our state’s history – and the Premier wants him focussed on organising a motor race,” Batty said.
“South Australians need Blair Boyer focussed on hospital ramps, not starting grids.”
When asked today if he was concerned about Boyer’s workload, Premier Peter Malinauskas said “I think you overestimate the amount of work that is associated with that particular designation”.
Malinauskas said Boyer was appointed “under advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office; when we receive advice like that, I’m inclined to follow it.”
Boyer said the Premier had delegated the responsibilities to him “to ensure additional oversight over the MotoGP and Adelaide Grand Final”.
“I take seriously the responsibilities delegated to me to uphold the powers under the Act and will undertake my role with the same diligence and commitment I take to my other portfolios,” Boyer said.
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