TRANSCRIPT:
My adjournment today is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is a review of contracts for maintenance of roads in the Euroa electorate to ensure they are delivering quality roads and value for money for Victorian taxpayers. We saw 174 lives lost on regional roads in 2023. Shockingly, 50 of those lives were lost in the Goulburn Valley region alone. Twenty-eight lives were lost in Murrindindi shire, six in Strathbogie shire, 13 in Moira shire and four in Mitchell shire. As things stand, questions remain of the effectiveness, quality control, lack of competition and conflicts of interest relating to road maintenance contracts, raised with me by drivers and people who work in this space.
The failure to initially maintain or fix our regional roads has allegedly led to successful one-off lucrative windfalls for the same company that failed to repair the roads in the first place. This cannot continue. These contractors must be evaluated to ensure our roads and therefore our residents are being looked after with the level of care that is required. Our roadworthy cars need carworthy roads.
I have heard estimations that up to 70 per cent of the roads repaired during the October 2022 floods were damaged once again during more recent flooding in parts of the electorate. These roads are causing problems for commuters, the transport industry and visitors to our regional towns. High rainfall or consistent rainfall areas should not be a barrier to roads functioning well and being long lasting, provided that the road pavement design is fit for purpose.
Sadly, the Allan Labor government has diverted money away from regional communities and is ignoring critical responsibilities like the condition of our roads. We already know that investment is desperately needed back into our roads budget, particularly for the betterment of these damaged roads rather than patch-up maintenance that continues to wash away every time we have floods or heavy traffic. At a time when Labor has cut the road maintenance budget by 45 per cent since 2022, including a 25 per cent cut in last year’s budget, the safety of our drivers is paramount. The sheer number of lives lost has been devastating, but we must never forget that these are not just numbers but people whose families, friends and communities will mourn their loss for years to come. With the roads worse than ever, a rise in lives lost and insurance claims through the roof, it is imperative that all avenues to repairing our roads are investigated, including the essential reassessment of road contracts in my region.
I want to thank everyone that has brought attention to the road issue in my community. Just in the past month, I have heard from Neil Harris, Alison Phillips, Ashleigh Hume, David Willis, Steve O’Shea, Peter Robinson, Tracey Burge, Emma Hunt, Ronnie Mason, Bill Winters, Peter Gilespie, Brian Lauder, Phil Searle, Ray Turley, Krystal Mackay, Rachel Spencer, Cheryl Wright, Bree Jeffery, Kyra Seach, Paul Yonger, Matt Bothington, Jonathan Tofts, Shannon Roach and Caitlyn Mary, who are all fighting, with me, for improved roads from Benalla to Kilmore and everywhere in between. The state government must deliver the step change in understanding.