- Black Mountain Greenhouse Redevelopment
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
2.1The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) seeks approval from the Parliament to replace critical greenhouse infrastructure at the CSIRO Black Mountain site in the Australian Capital Territory.
2.2At the public hearing, the CSIRO explained the purpose of the project:
This project will see the redevelopment of the greenhouse infrastructure on our Black Mountain site in Canberra and will provide new and refurbished greenhouses with supporting facilities to replace the infrastructure and capability that was damaged during the January 2020 hailstorm. The CSIRO is one of Australia's leading multidisciplinary research organisations, with over 5,000 people working across 46 sites in Australia and internationally.
2.3The total budget of the project is $37.9 million (excluding GST).
2.4The project was referred to the Committee on 2 September 2025.
Conduct of the inquiry
2.5Following referral, the inquiry was published on the Committee’s website and submissions were sought.
2.6The Committee received one submission and one confidential submission from the CSIRO. A list of submissions is available at Appendix A.
2.7On 7 November 2025, the Committee attended an informal briefing and inspection of the damaged infrastructure, and conducted a public hearing and in-camera hearing at Australian Parliament House, Canberra. A transcript of the public hearing is available on the Committee’s website.
Need for the works
2.8The CSIRO explained to the Committee that the Black Mountain site was severely affected by the January 2020 hailstorm, which damaged the site’s greenhouse capacity by 78 per cent. Out of the 85 greenhouses with a footprint of 6,319 square metres, 4,952 square metres were damaged by the hailstorm.
2.9At the public hearing, the CSIRO emphasised that the Black Mountain site is a long-term investment and critical to the organisation’s corporate plan:
The Black Mountain site is our original site. It's been there in some form or another for a hundred years. It's a key site that we invest into. It's home to a number of our business research units, and we've invested heavily over the last decade or so into refreshing facilities at that site. So it remains very key to our corporate plan and deliverables.
2.10The CSIRO’s submission further noted the strong strategic alignment of the proposed works on the CSIRO’s broader research objectives by supporting the 2020 CSIRO Agriculture and Food Research Unit Strategy, 2019 Black Mountain Framework Plan, and 2021 National Greenhouse Strategic Principles, Strategic Overview, and Capability Guidelines.
Options considered
2.11The CSIRO’s submission proposed a three-stage delivery program.
- Stage 1 will address the immediate needs by rebuilding and replacing both redundant and damaged growth areas. This will support pressing scientific needs and provide capacity for new capabilities, such as speed breeding.
- Stage 2 will see the construction of additional greenhouses and address intermediate needs. This consolidation phase will address gaps in greenhouse requirements which were not met in Stage 1.
- Stage 3 will address the long-term needs by replacing other critical infrastructure on the Black Mountain site. These elements are not critical to be included in Stage1 or Stage 2 but are considered requirements by the CSIRO Research Units.
- Based on the three-stage delivery program, the CSIRO outlined four options to the Committee.
- Option 1: Delivery of Stages 1 and 2, focusing on immediate critical project scope within 6 years.
- Option 2: Delivery of all stages within 9.5 years.
- Option 3: Partial delivery of Stage 1 within 4.2 years.
- Option 4: Do nothing.
- The CSIRO recommended option 1 as the preferred option, as it would prioritise the delivery of critical greenhouses to meet immediate need and allow for future stages to be submitted for separate approvals based on the CSIRO’s long-term strategic vision.
Scope of the works
2.14At the public hearing, the CSIRO outlined the scope of the project:
The proposed works will be divided across two areas, known as the northern and southern precincts, at the site. The northern precinct, which you saw this morning, will include around 2,700 square metres of facilities, including physical containment, or PC2, greenhouses; a speed-breeding facility; a nursery cage; the re-cladding of existing PC2 greenhouses; and an essential mechanical plant area. The southern precinct will include a shadehouse building, with an area of around 280 square metres.
2.15Furthermore, the CSIRO explained why plexiglass was selected as the most suitable material for the proposed works:
So we went through a process where we evaluated glazing—single glazing and double glazing—and polycarbonate and plexiglas [sic], which are effectively fibreglass or plastic products, in effect. The other aspect of it is that these greenhouses have to be very thermally capable as well, both for the Canberra climate and just in general because of the science. They have to be able to hold their temperature to be energy efficient and just generally useful. So, in going through that process, we looked at single glazing, double glazing and all those various different things. Plexiglas [sic] was considered to be the most effective in terms of its hail resistance, its cost-effectiveness, its ability to transfer light well through the product and its thermal capability.
2.16The CSIRO’s submission further noted that the proposed works will also include a distribution board for each greenhouse, a central chilled water and heating hot water plant, an air handling unit providing independent temperature and humidity control for each greenhouse, hydraulic services, and security systems.
Stakeholder consultation
2.17The CSIRO have undertaken an ongoing information and consultation process with internal staff through questionnaires, workshops, and meetings for each design phase milestone.
2.18At the public hearing, the CSIRO addressed health and safety considerations regarding the project:
… we have a number of health and safety representatives across the site, in the health and safety enterprise unit, who have been engaged to date, and we manage site works carefully through coordinated communications ...
Furthermore, the CSIRO clarified that the project would have a limited impact on staff relocation and general operations:
… no CSIRO staff are required to relocate as a result of the project, and there are no changes to staff operations that require change management or formal processes along those lines as a result of delivery of those works.
2.19The CSIRO’s submission noted that letters outlining the project’s impact, expected benefits and timeframes were planned to be sent to external stakeholders, including local and federal government representatives, and residents local to the site.
Effective use of public moneys and revenue
2.20The CSIRO contended to the Committee that their whole-of-life cost assessment provides good value for money.
2.21There is no expected revenue from this project.
Public value
2.22The CSIRO noted that the proposed works would attract significant public value as undertaking research and development will lead to improved preparedness and responsiveness to plant and animal biothreats. The proposed works will enhance biosecurity resilience and food and nutritional security by prioritising high consequence threats that affect plant and environmental health.
2.23At the public hearing, the CSIRO further explained that the project will use materials primarily manufactured in Australia and support Australian suppliers:
… this is a facility that's never been rated before for Green Star. This is the first of its kind. To achieve a four-star Green Star is pioneering design and technology here. We've gone to all the necessary lengths to achieve that four-star rating, one of which is to use local materials. So many of the materials will come from the Canberra region, as much as possible. A lot of the labour will come from the Canberra region as well, to support that. Waste, including construction waste, will be managed through that process, and the materials themselves will be procured from Australian suppliers in order to support that as well. So, while the plexiglas [sic] technology may have been developed in Germany, it's manufactured here in Australia and will be brought from Australian places.
Cost of the works
2.24A P80 cost estimate for the project confirmed that the project is within the budget of $37.9 million (excluding GST), including internal staffing costs, contingency, project management, design, and documentation.
2.25The CSIRO is a participating Commonwealth entity in the Comcover Fund, an Australian government self-managed insurance fund which provides members with cover for general insurable risks. As a result of the hailstorm in January 2020 and the consequent greenhouse damage, the CSIRO was able to seek an indemnity payout for greenhouses that are not being rebuilt or replaced under the Comcover Fund.
2.26The CSIRO submission stated that the project will be funded through the Insurance Indemnity Settlement ($6.7 million) and CSIRO internal cash reserves ($31.2 million).
Committee comment
2.27The Committee did not identify any significant issues or concerns with the proposal, and it is satisfied that the project has merit in terms of need, scope and cost.
2.28The Committee notes the critical importance of redeveloping greenhouse infrastructure on Black Mountain to meet the CSIRO’s research objectives and enhance Australia’s biosecurity. These advancements are crucial for strengthening Australia’s resilience and preparedness for future plant and animal biothreats. Additionally, the Committee notes the already six-year timeframe since the damage was incurred and the potential commencement of these replacement works.
2.29The Committee urges the CSIRO to maintain vigilance around value for money by progressively building internal capabilities and reduce over-reliance on external consultants, where possible. Greater investment in strengthening in-house expertise within the CSIRO will improve cost-effectiveness for future proposals, and strengthen institutional knowledge to effectively respond to the CSIRO’s research requirements and protect Australia’s agricultural industries.
2.30The Committee encourages the CSIRO, when engaging with consultants, to obtain greater clarity and justification of consultancy fees. This could include a detailed breakdown on the scope of the work undertaken by the consultants compared to in-house staff, clarification on the terms of engagement, and ongoing assessment to ensure continued value and viability of external consultants.
2.31For future proposals regarding this site and other CSIRO facilities, the Committee seeks a more detailed account of stakeholder consultation. This could include staff being consulted on the development of the proposal, considerations around long-term health and safety impacts of working at the site, and how this consultation has informed and influenced the final proposal. It is the Committee’s expectation that a detailed account of stakeholder consultation be submitted to the Committee at the same time as a referral being made and the main submission for a proposed work is submitted, not after.
2.32Having regard to its role and responsibilities contained in the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the Committee is of the view that this project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth, and constitutes a project which is fit-for-purpose, having regard to its established need.
2.33The Committee recommends that the House of Representatives resolve, pursuant to section 18(7) of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, that it is expedient to carry out the following proposed works: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – Black Mountain Greenhouse Redevelopment.
2.34Proponent entities must notify the Committee of any changes to the project scope, time, cost, function, or design. The Committee also requires that a post implementation report be provided within three months of the project completion. A report template can be found on the Committee’s website.