Revelations in the media that there will be virtually no Victorian road resurfacing program this financial year are an indictment on the Andrews Government’s continuing financial mismanagement.
Victorians are well aware that our roads have deteriorated dramatically in the past few years and regional Victoria, in particular, is bearing the brunt of repeated roads budget cuts and neglect from the Government.
Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said a 45 per cent cut to the roads maintenance budget since 2020, including a further 25 per cent cut in this year’s budget was hurting Victorian motorists.
“The report stating that no contracts for road resurfacing have gone to tender this year should ring alarm bells for all Victorians. Without a resurfacing and resealing program, the deterioration of our roads will only accelerate,” Mr Bull said.
“We know our roads are in a dire state, finding after the floods last year, yet the Andrews Labor Government is cutting road maintenance, not increasing it. It beggars belief.”
Mr Bull said it was no surprise that country people were taking matters into their own hands and spray-painting messages to “fix our roads” on badly potholed road sections.
“I recently saw such graffiti on the Great Alpine Road in Lucknow on a notoriously reoccurring pothole, and I know there are many sections of local roads that display the same structural defect.
“The budget papers released in May listed the road area to be resurfaced across metropolitan and regional Victoria as “tbc”. Maybe they just meant ‘terribly bad condition’.”

Monday, 28 August, 2023