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Roads | September 10, 2018

Daniel Andrews votes against more funding to fix regional roads

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy has condemned a move by the Greens and Labor to block millions of dollars in extra funding for country roads.

In State Parliament this week, the Liberal Nationals proposed amendments during debate of the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 that would see more funding put into maintaining roads in country Victoria.

The amendments would have made sure 40 per cent of revenue collected from speeding fines and traffic camera offences went directly to regional and rural road maintenance, with a further 40 per cent to maintain roads in outer suburban interface areas.

“Roads in country Victoria are getting worse and worse, but still the Andrews Labor Government chose to block our efforts to increase maintenance funding,” Ms Kealy said.

“Labor’s funding cuts, while spending billions on metro projects in Melbourne, has left our roads falling apart, littered with potholes and crumbling road edges that are making it more dangerous to get around.

“Regional Victoria is missing out under the Premier for Melbourne, who’s not only cut regional roads funding, but has also been caught using country roads and bridges funding in his city electorate of Mulgrave.

“Labor and the Greens have shown they don’t care about regional communities or the industries that support us, like forestry and agriculture.

“There’s a very real risk a Labor Greens government could be elected in November, which would be an absolute disaster for country communities.

“Only a Liberal Nationals Government will provide a better deal for roads in regional Victoria, including re-establishing the $160 million Country Roads and Bridges Program that Labor so harshly cut when they got into Government.”