Work on a new plaque marking Jacinta Allan’s time as Victorian Premier will start next month, with a completion date set for 2038. The 40cm x 40cm plaque is expected to cost $185.95, or around $14 billion once special payments, overruns and other unforeseen issues are factored in. That figure had increased to $16 billion by late this morning.

In a statement today announcing the newly revised completion date and budget for the plaque project, a Victorian Government spokesperson blamed “unforeseen challenges, including revised costings, contract variations, additional consultancy fees and the unexpected complexity of attaching words to a flat surface”.

Many Victorians were sceptical of the plaque’s cost, but some said it was a touching tribute to the Allan Government. “It’s inexplicably expensive, it’s running late, there’s very little detail about why we need it. It really is the perfect way to remember this Government,” one voter said.

A spokesperson defended the project, saying the plaque project would create thousands of jobs across construction, compliance, project management and inquiries into why the project became so expensive.