Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull has yet again raised in State Parliament the need for greater investment in East Gippsland roads.

He told Parliament, “while I acknowledge the $2.6 million recently announced to repair a 1.8 kilometre horror stretch of the Great Alpine Road between Ensay and Swift’s Creek, `this is not even the tip of the iceberg in relation to what needs to be done.”

“This government cannot cut road maintenance funding and expect the situation on the ground to end any other way. The fact it has been a wet period would indicate an even bigger allocation is needed, but your own budget papers show a reduction.

“I could not start to mention the roads here in the chamber that need addressing in my area alone, as I would run out of time, but the lack of investment needs reversing.

“In a few months we will have a new Budget, the allocation to country roads must increase significantly.

“Our roads have suffered from the wet weather of recent years, but the problems existed before then due to lack of investment and lack of quality of construction which has seen new works fail within weeks.

“Deep potholes have had countless temporary fixes that fail quickly, rather than the permanent solution that is required.

“The previous Roads Minister touted in Parliament last year, Victorian roads are smoother and safer. East Gippslanders know this is a big porky pie and it must change.

“It’s time to invest in our roads to the levels required and ensure the standard of work is to a level that will survive the test of time and not fail within weeks or months of the work taking place.

“In many cases it is not the fault of the contractor. I have even had contractors tell me works will fail before they start, because the tenders do not allow them to do the work to the level they know is required.

“The Government must fix this and make the real investment that is needed,” Mr Bull said.

Monday, 3 April, 2023