[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":233},["ShallowReactive",2],{"active-categories":3,"blowouts":28,"story-\u002Fstories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million":83,"related-\u002Fstories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million":192,"surround-\u002Fstories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million":225},[4,6,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27],{"category":5},"follow-the-money",{"category":7},"cost-of-living",{"category":9},"government-waste",{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},[29,39,49,58,66,75],{"path":30,"title":31,"category":9,"date":32,"blowout":33},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbom-website-96-million-one-year-on","One year on: the BOM website that cost $96.5 million, not $4 million","2026-10-24",{"project":34,"originalCost":35,"currentCost":36,"announced":37,"note":38},"BOM website",4100000,96500000,"2025","$4.1m was the figure first given to the public.",{"path":40,"title":41,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":43},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcross-river-rail-cost-blowout-19-billion","Cross River Rail was sold as a $5.4 billion project. The government now says it costs $19 billion","2026-10-25",{"project":44,"originalCost":45,"currentCost":46,"announced":47,"note":48},"Cross River Rail",5400000000,19041000000,"2017","Queensland Government figure (Oct 2025). It includes 25 years of tunnel maintenance and network works; Labor disputes counting them.",{"path":50,"title":51,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":52},"\u002Fstories\u002Fhunter-class-frigates-27-billion-three-ships","Hunter-class frigates: sold as nine warships for $35 billion. We're now paying $27 billion for three",{"project":53,"originalCost":54,"currentCost":55,"announced":56,"note":57},"Hunter-class frigates",35000000000,45600000000,"2018","2020 Force Structure Plan estimate for nine ships. The program is now six ships; close to $27bn is allocated for the first three, including the Osborne shipyard.",{"path":59,"title":60,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":61},"\u002Fstories\u002Finland-rail-cost-blowout-45-billion-parkes","Inland Rail was sold as a $10.7 billion project. It now costs $45.6 billion, and stops at Parkes",{"project":62,"originalCost":63,"currentCost":55,"announced":64,"note":65},"Inland Rail",10660000000,"2015","Both P90 estimates for the full Melbourne to Brisbane line. Only Beveridge to Parkes is now being built.",{"path":67,"title":68,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":69},"\u002Fstories\u002Fnorth-east-link-cost-blowout-26-billion","North East Link was sold as a $10 billion road. It now costs $26 billion",{"project":70,"originalCost":71,"currentCost":72,"announced":73,"note":74},"North East Link",10000000000,26100000000,"2016","Victoria's December 2023 estimate. Includes the Eastern Freeway and M80 upgrades added since.",{"path":76,"title":77,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":78},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsnowy-2-0-cost-blowout-25-billion","Snowy 2.0 was sold as a $2 billion project. It could now cost $25 billion",{"project":79,"originalCost":80,"currentCost":81,"announced":47,"note":82},"Snowy 2.0",2000000000,22200000000,"Target cost. Up to $25bn with contingency; transmission not included.",{"id":84,"title":85,"author":86,"bigNumber":87,"bigNumberLabel":88,"blowout":89,"body":90,"category":9,"date":162,"description":163,"draft":164,"extension":165,"featured":164,"focusKeywords":166,"image":167,"imageAlt":168,"meta":169,"navigation":170,"path":171,"people":172,"readingTime":156,"refresh":89,"seo":173,"shareImage":89,"sources":174,"stem":184,"tags":185,"updated":89,"__hash__":191},"stories\u002Fstories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million.md","$1.6 million on pot plants for Big Build offices","Aussie Outrage","$1.6m","Estimated spend on plant hire and maintenance at Rail Projects Victoria",null,{"type":91,"value":92,"toc":154},"minimark",[93,102,109,115,120,123,126,130,133,137,140],[94,95,96,97,101],"p",{},"Rail Projects Victoria, the agency behind the Metro Tunnel and other Big Build rail projects, spent an estimated ",[98,99,100],"strong",{},"$1,638,368"," on \"plant hire and maintenance services\", according to figures released by the Victorian opposition in August 2026.",[94,103,104,105,108],{},"The Suburban Rail Loop Authority spent almost ",[98,106,107],{},"$200,000"," more renting office plants, the opposition said.",[110,111],"big-stat",{"label":112,"source":113,"value":114},"Rail Projects Victoria's estimated spend on plant hire and maintenance","Victorian opposition, August 2026","$1.64m",[116,117,119],"h2",{"id":118},"what-we-know","What we know",[94,121,122],{},"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.",[94,124,125],{},"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.\"",[116,127,129],{"id":128},"what-we-dont-know-yet","What we don't know yet",[94,131,132],{},"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.",[116,134,136],{"id":135},"why-it-matters","Why it matters",[94,138,139],{},"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.",[94,141,142],{},[143,144,145,146,153],"em",{},"Top photo: office plants on a desk (file photo, not a Rail Projects Victoria office). Photo: Alvin Engler, CC0, via ",[147,148,152],"a",{"href":149,"rel":150},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:Succulent_office_plants_(Unsplash).jpg",[151],"nofollow","Wikimedia Commons",".",{"title":155,"searchDepth":156,"depth":157,"links":158},"",2,3,[159,160,161],{"id":118,"depth":156,"text":119},{"id":128,"depth":156,"text":129},{"id":135,"depth":156,"text":136},"2026-10-26","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.",false,"md",[],"\u002Fimages\u002Foffice-plants-desk.jpg","Small potted succulents on a timber office desk",{},true,"\u002Fstories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million",[],{"title":85,"description":163},[175,178,181],{"title":176,"url":177},"Liberal Party Victoria (via National Tribune): Labor wastes $1.6 million on Big Build office pot plants (12 Aug 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nationaltribune.com.au\u002Flabor-wastes-16-million-on-big-build-office-pot-plants\u002F",{"title":179,"url":180},"Mirage News: Labor blows $1.6M on Big Build office plants","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.miragenews.com\u002Flabor-blows-1-6m-on-big-build-office-plants-1725828\u002F",{"title":182,"url":183},"Victoria's Big Build: About the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority","https:\u002F\u002Fbigbuild.vic.gov.au\u002Fabout\u002Fvida","stories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million",[186,187,188,189,190],"big-build","victoria","rail-projects-victoria","suburban-rail-loop","office-costs","k6nK_sJ3e6QOsmKIvAg0ATf6nfbhhF5awtycCsmHAWA",[193,201,209,217],{"path":194,"title":195,"description":196,"date":197,"category":9,"author":86,"image":89,"imageAlt":89,"bigNumber":198,"bigNumberLabel":199,"readingTime":200,"featured":164},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsuburban-rail-loop-cost-96-billion","Suburban Rail Loop cost: $50bn promised, $96.4bn forecast","How much will the Suburban Rail Loop cost? $33.3bn for stage one, says the government, but the Auditor-General says it could top $36bn. Two stages: $96.4bn.","2026-11-01","$96.4bn","What Victoria's Parliamentary Budget Office estimated in 2024 it would cost to build two sections of the loop. All of it was promised for $50bn.",12,{"path":202,"title":203,"description":204,"date":162,"category":9,"author":86,"image":205,"imageAlt":206,"bigNumber":207,"bigNumberLabel":208,"readingTime":156,"featured":164},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcommonwealth-games-cancelled-589-million","$589 million to host nothing: what cancelling the Commonwealth Games cost Victoria","Victoria pulled out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to save money. The Auditor-General found walking away cost $589 million with no discernible benefit, and the $6.9 billion figure used to justify it was overstated.","\u002Fimages\u002Feureka-stadium-ballarat.jpg","An aerial view of Eureka Stadium in Ballarat, with a blue athletics track behind it","$589m","What Victoria paid to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games",{"path":210,"title":211,"description":212,"date":162,"category":9,"author":86,"image":213,"imageAlt":214,"bigNumber":215,"bigNumberLabel":216,"readingTime":156,"featured":164},"\u002Fstories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins","The $13 million machete ban: what the money actually pays for","Victoria set aside $13 million for its machete ban and amnesty bins. The bins cost about $2,400 each. The government still hasn't said where the rest of the money goes.","\u002Fimages\u002Fmachete-amnesty-bin-echuca.jpg","A navy steel bin labelled Machete Amnesty Safe Disposal Bin outside Echuca police station","$13m","Budgeted for Victoria's machete ban, including about 45 disposal bins",{"path":218,"title":219,"description":220,"date":162,"category":9,"author":86,"image":221,"imageAlt":222,"bigNumber":223,"bigNumberLabel":224,"readingTime":156,"featured":164},"\u002Fstories\u002Fmetro-tunnel-plaques-70000-replaced","$70,000 to fix the wording on Metro Tunnel plaques","Commemorative plaques for the Metro Tunnel were replaced after errors were found in their wording, at a reported cost of about $70,000. Nobody has said who got it wrong or who paid.","\u002Fimages\u002Fmetro-tunnel-town-hall-platform.jpg","Orange arches above the crowded platform at Town Hall station in Melbourne's Metro Tunnel","$70k","Reported cost of replacing Metro Tunnel plaques after a wording error",[226,231],{"title":227,"path":228,"stem":229,"description":230,"children":-1},"Interest rate rises in Australia: four in 2026, and the cost","\u002Fstories\u002Finterest-rate-rises-australia-2026","stories\u002Finterest-rate-rises-australia-2026","Every RBA interest rate rise in Australia in 2026, why the Reserve Bank raised rates to 4.60%, and what they add to a typical mortgage: about $470 a month.",{"title":203,"path":202,"stem":232,"description":204,"children":-1},"stories\u002Fcommonwealth-games-cancelled-589-million",1793586230217]