The Victorian Opposition leader said he was “quite appalled” by the state of the roads during a visit to the Goulburn Valley on January 5.
Liberal MP John Pesutto, who took on the leadership position after the party lost the November 2022 state election, was in the region for the first time on the invitation of Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell.
They were joined by Emergency Services Shadow Minister Ann-Marie Hermans as they visited flood- and hail-affected farms at Tatura, Ardmona and Bunbartha, and heard from growers and industry representatives about the frustration and costs of recent natural disasters.
Mr Pesutto said he understood the community’s concerns about the condition of the roads and expressed sympathy to the families and friends affected by recent fatalities, including at Kaarimba on New Year’s Eve and Pine Lodge on January 4.
He said while he represented a metropolitan seat, as “a leader and a parliamentarian” he wanted what was best for the entire state.
“Regional and rural areas have missed out and that’s clear from the state of the roads,” he said.
Mr Pesutto said he would continue to push for investment in regional roads to be a priority.
“Not just one-off funding but continuous funding,” he said.
The Liberals and Nationals had made a pre-election commitment of $10 billion over 10 years for road maintenance if they had won the election.
Mr Pesutto said the Coalition partners met just before Christmas and it was a fruitful meeting.
“I’m really excited by working with them ... we’re both committed to winning in 2026, there’s a real feeling we have to win, not just for our own sakes ... but for the sake of the state,” he said.
Roads, including the bypass, GV Health and flood recovery efforts were also on the agenda during the meeting with Greater Shepparton City Council in the afternoon.
Mr Pesutto said he was keen to see the business case for the bypass “because we want to see it come to fruition”.
“The business case should be released ... it needs to be updated ... we’ll continue to put pressure on for (the project) to be delivered,” he said.
On January 4 Victorian Agriculture Minister Gayle Tierney also caught up with council and visited hail-affected farms.
Mayor Shane Sali said they had discussed the impact of the recent hail storm and the flood damage to the local agricultural industry with Ms Tierney.
“Our region has been built on agriculture, with significant investment by local growers of approximately $100 million over the last several years,” Cr Sali said.
“Significant financial assistance is needed to help growers get back on their feet and to make sure they can invest in products.
“The December hail storm in Tatura has devastated local fruit growers, with some now facing restricted supply.”
Read more about the visits in next week’s Country News.