The Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has raised the lack of progress on the Kilmore Bypass with the Roads Minister on the first parliamentary sitting day of 2023.
Ms Cleeland has lodged questions on notice, requiring a written response from the Minister withing a month.
With the bypass project stalling for eight years under the Andrews Government, Ms Cleeland said the government had failed to listen to the thousands of Kilmore residents who invigorated the “Build the Bypass now” campaign.
“Last year in response to questioning at a parliamentary committee we were informed only two blocks of land had been acquired for the bypass,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The lack of financial commitment in the 2022-23 Budget means further delay is expected in the land acquisition process.
“I’ve asked the Minister to detail the land which has been acquired, as I worry there has been further delays and distractions by a government obsessed with neglecting residents outside Melbourne.”
With the Department of Transport also unable to provide an expected total project cost in June of last year, Ms Cleeland has asked for an update on the expected expenditure on the completed project.
“It is baffling the government has still not completed any of the costings for a completed bypass,” Ms Cleeland said. “I’ve asked the Minister to be honest as to whether this work has been done and what the total cost will be.
“While the government has spent tens of billions on metro cost blowouts alone, their neglect of a simple regional bypass is disappointingly true to form.”
The upcoming delivery of the Victorian Budget will provide the Kilmore community an updated timeframe on the expected completion of land acquisition.
“I’ll be scrutinising the budget closely and will be incredibly vocal if there’s yet another delay in land acquisition,” Ms Cleeland said.
During her maiden speech, Ms Cleeland demanded the government invest in the Kilmore Bypass as a matter of urgency.
“We need ongoing funding to ensure roads right across regional Victoria are maintained at a safe standard,” she said.
“We know that the current state of roads is causing serious and fatal road accidents so we must see priority given to road projects, like the Kilmore Bypass, which is desperately needed to simply keep the town functioning and prevent the crumbling of one of Victoria’s most historically significant towns.”
