Since taking over as premier a little over two weeks ago, Ben Carroll has been busy scraping barnacles from the Jacinta Allan era from his government.

The proposed work-from-home law has been delayed, he has committed to a royal commission into allegations of corruption in the construction industry, announced his intention to limit court suppression orders, and he has downsized his ministry.

And now he has vowed to stamp out bloated taxpayer spending on office pot plants less than 90 minutes after Opposition Leader Jess Wilson called out eyebrow-raising examples of government contracts for indoor shrubbery – including a $1.6 million spend.

In question time on Wednesday, Wilson asked Treasurer Colin Brooks, aka “the real Colin from Accounts”: “Why has Rail Projects Victoria spent almost $1.6 million hiring and maintaining pot plants for its offices?” and followed it up with, “How many police could be put on the beat in Sunshine for $1.6 million?”

Making the point, Liberal members Nicole Werner and Brad Battin produced pot plant props and promptly got booted out of the chamber.

Wilson’s figures related to a $1.6 million contract to hire and maintain plants for Rail Project Victoria’s (now part of the Victoria Infrastructure Delivery Authority) offices in the CBD and Sunshine for four years from August 2022 to July 2026 and a $200,000 contract for indoor-plant hire and maintenance for the Suburban Rail Loop Authority which expires in August 2027.

“Labor has no respect for taxpayer money or the people that earn it. Under Labor, Victoria’s corrupted Big Build still doesn’t have a royal commission, but it does have millions of dollars of rented office pot plants,” Wilson later said.

Not wanting to be flagellated by the foliage folly, Carroll moved surprisingly quickly for a pollie and pulled that weed.

“This is not a good use of taxpayer money. I’ve asked my department to end this,” Carroll countered, before adding the usual line about spending taxpayer dollars responsibly.

His move came as the Liberals unleashed another snappy social media reel, this time with Wilson, Werner, Battin and their colleagues holding a plastic tree covered in notes and lambasting Labor for acting like money grows on trees.

Game on. Things are heating up over at Spring Street.

Walden clocks up double figures in new gig

There must be something in the air. Hot on the heels of Melbourne foodie Iain Hewitson launching his 10th book, comes former newsreader Mal Walden with his latest literary offering – which just happens to also take him into double figures as an author.

Walden, who was a fixture for decades behind the news desk on channels 7 and 10, is gearing up for the release of his 10th book, Power of the Voice: Words that shaped Australia, later this month.

“When I was in the media, we were told that 12 words was six words too many and on that basis, you can’t write a book,” Walden told CBD on Wednesday.

“So, in 2013, my last year at Channel 10, I did an online, non-fiction writing course for six months and learnt long-form writing, then I wrote my memoir, The Newsman, which was published in 2016.

“My publisher asked me if I had another book in me and I told him, ‘it’s taken me 54 years to write this one – on that basis, neither of us is going to be around for the next one’.”

Turns out Walden got his skates on and a decade along now has 10 titles to his name.

“It’s like my career in media has not stopped, it’s just taken a different direction,” he said.

“Most of the books have a common theme, and it’s about unique Australians.”

In a case of “can’t stop, won’t stop”, there is more to come. He is already deep into writing number 11.

Sussan Ley’s former spinner revives dormant press chat

Former opposition leader Sussan Ley’s ex spinner Liam Jones went on to start his own consulting shop after the former opposition leader left politics earlier this year.

But he’s clearly been missing the game – and relevance that came with his old gig.

On Tuesday night, Jones revived the old background briefing WhatsApp group which had been dormant since Ley was opposition leader to let reporters know she would be on the ABC’s 7.30 to talk about the US road trip she wrote about for The Australian Financial Review.

After Ley left politics, Jones went on to set up Deep Roads Strategy, and has been doing some lobbying work for the Movember men’s health charity. Jones was also recently in the US, where we hear he was the least notable attendee of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue in Washington DC.

The Australian contingent for that talkfest included former prime minister Scott Morrison and former UN ambassador Mitch Fifield, along with Speaker Milton Dick, Labor senator Raff Ciccone, and Liberal senators James Paterson and Jonno Duniam. If Tuesday evening was anything to go by, we doubt Jones needed any invitation to talk up his list of clients.