$1.6m
Estimated spend on plant hire and maintenance at Rail Projects Victoria
$1.6 million on pot plants for Big Build offices
Rail Projects Victoria spent an estimated $1.64 million on plant hire and maintenance, and the Suburban Rail Loop Authority almost $200,000 more, according to the state opposition.
Aussie Outrage · · 2 min read
Rail Projects Victoria, the agency behind the Metro Tunnel and other Big Build rail projects, spent an estimated $1,638,368 on "plant hire and maintenance services", according to figures released by the Victorian opposition in August 2026.
The Suburban Rail Loop Authority spent almost $200,000 more renting office plants, the opposition said.
$1.64m
What we know
Rail Projects Victoria is now part of the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (VIDA), the agency that runs the government's Big Build road and rail projects.
The opposition said the plant spending alone would pay a year's salary for 17 nurses, 20 paramedics or 16 police. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said: "Labor has no respect for taxpayer money or the people that earn it."
What we don't know yet
The figures come from an opposition press release, and it doesn't say over how many years the money was spent or how many offices it covered. We haven't seen a response from the government or the agencies.
Why it matters
Office plants are a normal business cost. $1.6 million of them, at an agency already under scrutiny for Big Build cost blowouts, is the kind of spending taxpayers deserve to see itemised.
Top photo: office plants on a desk (file photo, not a Rail Projects Victoria office). Photo: Alvin Engler, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
- Liberal Party Victoria (via National Tribune): Labor wastes $1.6 million on Big Build office pot plants (12 Aug 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Mirage News: Labor blows $1.6M on Big Build office plants (opens in a new tab)
- Victoria's Big Build: About the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (opens in a new tab)
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