The Victorian Government has responded to criticism of its recent rejection of an inquiry into the condition of our roads, with state Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland saying the decision reflects how “out of touch” the government is with the needs of regional Victoria.
Ms Cleeland said the motion would look into road construction, repair, maintenance and road safety at a time when it was most needed.
“Road maintenance funding has decreased from $702.2 million to just $441.6 million in the last year alone, despite the dire state of Victoria’s regional road network,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Roads in regional Victoria are still in desperate need of attention. They needed fixing before the October floods and now the issue has only gotten worse.
“Cutting funding from something so necessary just goes to show how out of touch this Labor Government is with the needs of regional Victoria.”
A government spokesperson responded to Ms Cleeland’s specific claims relating to road funding and said the Victorian budget would be delivering an extra $2.8 billion in road maintenance over 10 years to ensure motorists could keep moving safely — meaning at least $6.6 billion would be invested in road asset management on Victoria’s road network over the next decade.
“We are investing $770 million in maintaining Victorian roads in 2023/24 — far exceeding the yearly average of $493 million under the previous coalition government,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Cleeland said an inquiry was needed to review the state of our roads and chart a way forward to improve road surface quality and lifespan.
“The road toll continues to rise, with far more deaths on our roads than previous years,” she said.
“We should be doing what we can to help prevent this issue, and it starts with the quality and safety of our roads.
“We know safer roads save lives, but instead of allowing the facts to be examined, Labor chose to shut down debate and block the establishment of an inquiry into Victorian roads.”
In response, the government pointed out that the Liberals and Nationals cut country road funding by 40 per cent between 2012 and 2014.
It also highlighted that when last in government, the coalition cut VicRoads staff by 450 and slashed country road maintenance funding.
According to the Andrews Government, its average annual expenditure on road asset management since the 2018 election is $853 million, compared to the $493 million average of the former coalition government.