The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe is calling on the Allan Labor Government to address the “appalling” state of roads across regional Victoria as an urgent priority.
In the recent Victorian State Budget, it revealed that the Allan Labor Government has reduced targets for regional road resurfacing and rehabilitation by more than 75 per cent – from 11,800 thousand square metres in 2021 to just 2,589 thousand square metres in 2026-27.
Ms O’Keeffe said people across the region are paying the price for years of neglect.
“When you have a 75 per cent reduction in road maintenance, it is no wonder that our roads are falling apart and this is simply unacceptable.
“It is now at a crisis point navigating these dangerous roads is becoming impossible and lives are being put at risk. My office and social media have been inundated with locals that are furious about what they are having to endure daily and are in fear of travelling on our roads.”
Mr Kevin Turner contacted Ms O’Keeffe’s office this week to share his experience and damage caused to his car leaving him out of pocket with significant costs. He also highlighted that he could not ride his motorbike due to the dangerous and unsafe conditions of the roads, Mr Turner is just one of many who have been severely impacted.
“I cannot imagine a motorbike hitting some of those dangerous potholes. We know that lives have been lost on our roads and we cannot put more lives at risk.
“Rather than take responsibility and urgently address this matter the Minister for Roads and Road Safety suggests that people report potholes and damaged road surfaces. This is her responsibility and she needs to get out and travel on our roads by experiencing firsthand what is actually happening,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“Our roads are falling apart while billions of dollars are being wasted on corruption and cost blowouts on government Big Build sites, this is money that should have gone into repairing our roads.
“Whether it’s the Goulburn Valley Highway, Midland Highway, Katamatite-Shepparton Road, Echuca Road, Barmah-Shepparton Road or any local arterial road in between, people are constantly dodging potholes, slowing down for damaged road surfaces and paying for vehicle repairs out of no fault of their own.
“The Nationals’ Fair Share Guarantee will ensure that regional communities across regional Victoria receive infrastructure funding that reflects their contribution to the state and their needs.
“Currently under Labor and Jacinta Allan, 12 per cent of infrastructure funding goes to regional Victoria, despite being 25 per cent of the state’s population.
“Our region alone contributes significantly to the state’s economy through agriculture, food production, manufacturing, tourism and freight, yet under Labor our communities continue to miss out on the investment that we deserve.
“Our Fair Share Guarantee is about making sure that regional Victorians get the infrastructure investment that they deserve, including safer roads that are properly maintained and roadworthy.”
Ms O’Keeffe encourages locals to report a pothole or dangerous road hazards to contact Transport Victoria on 13 11 70 or via https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/traffic-and-road-use/report-a-road-issue.
Photo Caption: The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe and Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Danny O’Brien pictured seeing the appalling state of the roads.
