Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

The Courier-Mail 11 December 1981 culture cerr1tre A CONFIDENTIAL report has urged a complete review of the QuHnsland Cultural Centre contract to enable work on the project to procHd "without conflict". The repqrL .bY Melbourne huslneisa consultant, Mr W.J . Northover. rlalm.1 the Stale Works Depar.imenl had lost confidence ln tho ablllLy or project contractors, Dnrclay 'Um Pty Lld, l<> program and und~ftltand tha Job. Mt Northover said In the document that lhe department w,(J "most 1111happy•t wllh the Barclay Bro, alUtude nnd re• BUiia. Barclay Bro, mnnagl!1~ director, Mr Ian Barclay, and projec architect, Mr • ll'·• ., .., Robin Gibson, ye,1erd11r denied moJor C I I problems exlJlted In work on the per• u tu ra forming art, complex, the second s1a11e · of the project. Mr Barclay sold : "!'he problems we have are typical contract problems and• C t • there's no question of these not beln,r en re aolved." Mr Barclay said work on the projedt' had ''slipped" slnco June largely d~ te Industrial 11'Drk bun• and strlkoa; He denied the company was experiencing problems In progmmmlng the work. ; "It's fatal to try to reach a deadline In time 11L the expense or the standard of construction," he suld. "It's a complex structure and one which Isn't built every day. The only problem we hnl'e I~ to get the complex nature or the Job together." Mr Barclay snld he had seen a cop:, or the rcr,ort. He declined to sny whether or noL he had nsked ror tt to be prepared by Mr Northol'cr. From P•&• 1 According to the report. Barclay Oros claimed that much hud been done 10 correct early deficiencies. It snld In~ formation required to update t.he ..-ork Pl'Osrnm wn. not supplletl until ll1ny this ;·car which had led to a mls• leading \\'Ork prog-rnm being submitted "' the Works Deportment. Serious doubts about the lime needed for finishing work forced th• "reallstlc" completion date to be pm bnck to December. .1983. In the report B»rclay Bl'OII denied thut stafl or sub-contractors• In– competence had been a major factor. The Works and Housing Minister, Lack of experience nnd competence In Mr WhurL011, nnd Mr Gibson said they others had cnused delays. hnd not seen the report. Mr Wharton Mr Norl.bover said In the report he said the department wns holding talks had held talks 111th the Slate Works wttJ1 the contrnctors to hnve work Dcpnrunent director or bulldlngs, Mr completed with lhc least possible de• Roman Pavlysh)'tl. He waa told the Jay. serious stnle of the project l!ad become A copy or the report WR5 supplied to evident ·•only in the laat fe"fll month&." 'I'lie Courier-Mail by lhc stntc Member It wns serious In that It affected har– for Lytton. Mr Tom Burns. He snld U1e :~~[~-~0~~~1pletlon date and the ultl– l'Cport Indicated t,!•~ f ul~ral centm, The report said the Works Depart– wu.s going tile wai o I 1• l'dney Op- ment realised thnt Barclay B~ had •cm House • • • rc 5 ult or "massil·e mls- 110 current expcrle11ce ln the partlcular manRQement." areri before the contract was l~t. There I-le said the co111plct,lo11 date for the was no pnrtlcular dl&satilfactlon from re ., 11 e ro11 1- the workmanship point of v)ew. It wu r - nlmost lnrgely•Job harmony, lack of real J)l'Og- ltlDnths a er 11e · 0111 1onwenlth ress, Job~ats nnd overru11•,contract O'&»,tsi Which were of concern. • .. _I! "The de)lartment at no time mtsled ,....,. Burns said : "I'd estimate Ihe 11- U!C contractors ns to the natUN!, time nal C<>lit to be closer to $50 million now nnd dlfrlculty or the works and do not rather than lhc orlginRI 826 mllllon. believe that any events have occurred The rovernment h11s to come clean on to change tlHlt view," the N!port seld. lhls cover-up because the people are "hn Barclay's exprused concern re- going to h~ve lo pny for It." Inling to the control of the project by The report recom1ne11ded lhree •1- the architect was a planned decision - trrnatlves under which Lhe project 'n!tcr all, It was his design and an art could proceed without iulferlng "fur- project." ther 111-errect from attitudes and RC• The report said that the department tlon": a more equitable form or con- had not "seriously con~ldered" term!• tract due to difficulties In perfecting n nat1 11 g the Bnrcln.y Bros contract bul program and design !or the building: / hnd lost confidence in Lhelr ability to that Barclay Bros be appointed as progrum and understand the Job In project managers lo conclude work or- hand. ter resolution or submitted claims and "Bnrcln,· Bros had forwarded major their pre.,ent contract bn lcrmlnnted: claims 1111d the deparLmenl, wns lookl11g or that present claims br. dealt with Into the claims but was most unhBPJlY pro in p l I Y and the r.ontroct be "'Ith the Bnrclny Bros' attitude and rc- amended. suits." Mr Northover s•ld: "All this haft He bcllel'ed there would be "unfal'or- happened m•nY times before. We nble pollllcul consequences" If the should learn •omel htng lrom past mls- work., depnrtmcnt defended the con– takes. I believe this approRch should be irnct to completion and then nego– glven maximum effort and opportunity tlated some settlement or claim. to aucceed." "I belie1·e thnt. to be a totally u..,•• tisfnctory approach," he said. ,. 1n dark' . on report A copy of the Northover re• port on Queensland Culturol Centre problems was provided to the State Works Deportment without the knowledge of the Works and Housing Minister, Mr Wharton. Tht. tQnrtdenthtl n•11orl, 1 ·nmn1l~– ~loncrl 11.,· 1hr 1 ,rokt'I contrnctnr, Uni - cl:I\· Bro., Pf\• 1.ttl, 11rtctl n 1·nm11lrtr r<'· ,·ir\,· ur tlw ('ollnrnl <.:1•ntrr 1·onlra1·t. ~lr Wharton, who wa~ .-,ut, of nr1~– hp111• \'Cslcrfln v nncl unn,·:illahh• ror cnmm~nl, rnrllrr tl1•nlcd h1n•ln~ ~ren lh~l~~p;;~·nrl WR~ fll'rparrtl In OC'lnhrr hy Mrlht:'nrn,. hnsinrs" t•nmmllHnl, Mr \\'..f, ~11rthin:cr. It ,u lrl thr \\'ork:'\ Or- ru1rt111cnt had ln,;t i·nnrirlrnl'r '" thr nhllil ,, of Rnrcli1f Urn1- ln 11rn.cr11 m :t"'l 11111te:a'·stand thr Joh. A \\"urk~ Depnrtnwnt !ipnkc!"n,an ..:airf .)'L'Slcrda1· an 1111!!-ollcllrd ,•opy or i.i,c rri,ort w;,t' !IIUhmlltrd unofrlclnll~· lo a 1h.-pnr1mc11IRI officer. "Thr rrport hnd nut hrrn i1tnl to t hr lwnd of thr depnrtnwnt." he l!lald . "i\ln ttc-r!II conslrlr.rrrl In the rrport wrrr. matters lhr drpnrtmrnt WA~ ucqualnt – ••tl wllh 1!1rou~h ,lrtRllrfl kno\\'ICdRr or thr prnJrl'l nnrl from dlScu!irislons. with th1• conlr1u:l11rN, 1·n1umllnnt!C 11.nd dr- 11111·tmcnt:1I utrkrrs. The Mlnl~t,·r I l\tr WhRrtnn I ha, hrr.n krpl fully In• formrd of thr p1ud1lnn nr lht• c•nntrnct_." (;,wcrnmrnt sourrrs hrllr,·r \\lnrl<!' nrpnrtmrnt .1111prr,•lslnn or thr proJrct hA~ hrrn hu, It I'll 111ulr1·~toqrl tlw ri•poi•I'( "' 111 - trnrr ""~ nnt. rr\'r alr.d durtni: dl~- 1·11!'1tlon~ hct w,!en Mr \\'harton, Unrcht~ Oros 1.nd dcpl\rtmcntrtl orrtcrrs. 1'hr 1'tate tnt'mbtr for l.ytton, ~fr Tom Burn!', who ,mpJllil'fl n copy nr lhc rrpnrl lo Th~ Couricr-l\tnil, yr!l~crduy «·nlled on l\tr \\'hnrton to mnkc :t pub• llr exphtnatlon. " fir h11!tl to i•:<plaln win· hr hn~n·t, sren thi~ report cm a mnJor publlc pro.It• •t, wht•n his drp11rl · mcnt has a copy. "'l'he pcopl• of Quernsl•11d 11rr PR)'• lnl ror this proJf"cl and the~· dt•sr1•,•r, R tlrlRllrd explRnallon nr wltot thr fl1111I rnst ,.,111 hr, \\'hrn II will hr flnl,ltetl and lh• rr•snn, !nr thr dr.lRl''· Continued P~ae 3 I I V ' From Page l ":\lr \\ 1 harton rrrused 10 tl\'I, dr• taliert informallon alMul thl!' matter to '.\Tr F.rlc Shaw IALr. Wynnum l tn ~talc l'nrllament last. week. "I want to know why the rt•porl wa5 not made pu:,'t·;urn• ,aid thr report , aid the second •t•~• of the project, the pcr_– fnrrnln~ art!II t·omplc.1, would cn!l 55,l00,000 more lhan lhe orl~lnal S. 5 mllllon. "Go\'ernm1•nl sourcc!I claim a~ additional SR million so thnt make• s:18,300,0011 already." he said. . Mr Burns •aid the complr~ "•• ht•ln,t pnrllnl!J funded from Gnt,lon C11•kct prortls which rormrrly rundrd rrc,· hnspllnls. . The Trcasurrr, Dr Ed\\'l\rd~, ~Rid ~cs• terday the eomplcx wnuld he com• plrt<•d Into In 1982 or early In tn83. The contractorH luul chRnJ:cd lhe corn• plctlon dnt• from thr orl~lnnl r,tlmnte of t 'ebruary 1082, to Dccoml1er 1983, ac– cnrdlnir to the Nnrtho,•er report. 1\1 Rn.relay Brni,,. mRna{ln1 dlrrtlnr, r ' Inn llHrt•la~·. ,inhl y~ lrrd1w thi~ ,•on;; " II 1,11 nn ,1 UI JI " , 1 II