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Roads | October 03, 2024

Neglect continues as Labor dumps regional roads agency

Labor’s neglect of regional roads has hit a new low, with confirmation the state government has dumped both the agency tasked with making sure regional communities have safe and reliable roads, and its only government-owned road maintenance business.

Regional Roads Victoria was established in 2018, with Labor at the time describing it as a dedicated country roads body giving regional Victorians roads they can rely on.

However roads maintenance funding has slowly dwindled since, with this year’s funding 16 per cent less than in 2020, and the amount of road resurfacing dropping by two thirds.

Member for Lowan and Deputy Leader of the Nationals, Emma Kealy, said Labor’s dismantling of RRV proved the agency was only ever government propaganda to make it look like Labor cared about regional and rural communities.

“This government is all spin and no substance. It has consistently failed to adequately invest in regional roads, which is why a government survey last year found that more than 90 per cent of roads were in a poor or very poor condition,” she said.

“Even our main arterial, the Western Highway, is riddled with potholes, but for more than four years the Allan Labor Government has failed to allocate a single cent to finish the highway’s duplication between Ararat and Stawell to make the road safer.

“Roads across the south-west are also in dire need of funding, including the Glenelg Highway between Coleraine and Casterton, the Hamilton Highway between Hamilton and Penshurst, the Henty Highway in multiple places, and the Pyrenees Highway from Willaura to Maroona.

“Sections of the Hamilton Highway between Hamilton and Penshurst, and between Mortlake and Caramut are atrocious, and have been for several years despite repeated campaigning to make them safer.

“Labor’s chronic under-spending across regional Victoria is having dire consequences on our roads, which is compromising the safety of our residents.

“Our roads have never been as bad as they are now, and despite Labor’s ridiculous attempts in Parliament to do a Milli Vanilli and ‘Blame it on the Rain’, we all know that there’s only one reason our roads are so poor, and that’s Labor’s incompetence.

“Milli Vanilli were found to be frauds, and Labor’s latest shameful decision to axe Regional Roads Victoria and its road repairer SprayLine Road Services shows that they too cannot be trusted.”

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information also reveal that Labor skimmed $1.57 million from a federal Black Spot Program fund that was meant to improve safety on regional roads and instead spent it on bureaucratic costs.

Ms Kealy said yet again rural and regional communities were paying the price as Labor desperately tried to stem the growing financial mess it had created in Victoria.

“This government has overseen $41 billion in blowouts on city projects that no local person will benefit from, and yet it’s our communities that Labor cuts funding from to pay for its spiralling debt – it’s absolutely shameful,” she said.

“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage regional roads, and Victorians are paying the price.”