Victorians are being encouraged to highlight the worst potholes in the state through a new competition to put more pressure on the Allan Labor Government to fix our appalling roads.
The Nationals and Liberals are running a statewide photo competition, with the worst potholes to feature in a 2025 “Potholes for All Seasons” calendar that will be presented to Premier Jacinta Allan and Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne later this month.
The Nationals’ Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, said Victoria’s roads had been going backwards for years after successive Labor road maintenance budget cuts.
“Our communities know our roads are in a deplorable state and they are sick of it. This calendar will be one way for motorists to vent while at the same time putting pressure on the government to improve our roads,” she said.
“The government’s own data showed road maintenance works in regional Victoria plummeted 95 per cent last financial year, with only 422,000 square metres of road rehabilitated or resurfaced compared with 9 million square metres the year prior.
“Is it any wonder a government survey last year found that 91 per cent of roads surveyed were in poor or very poor condition.
“Our cars must be roadworthy, but our roads are far from carworthy, and the condition of regional roads is now the biggest safety concern for motorists.”
Ms Kealy said she was aware of Victorian road crews having to travel thousands of kilometres interstate and others being laid off due to the lack of work in Victoria.
“It’s astonishing that our own workers are travelling over 2000 kilometres to far north Queensland when our own roads are in such desperate need of fixing,” she said.
“This is a disastrous state of affairs because the lack of maintenance will just mean more potholes and damaged roads will appear in future.
“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage our roads and Victorians are paying the price.”
Ms Kealy said, “Motorists should only take photos of roads where they could do so safely and without putting other road users at risk.”
The western highway is the second busiest highway in Australia so should be one of our best roads, but Labor’s mismanagement means that there are more potholes and dangerous bumps and waves than ever before.
Our region relies on good quality safe roads to get to work and school, sports training, to visit family and friends and to get our produce to market.
Labor doesn’t seem to understand we don’t have an option to catch a train or tram – our country roads are our only connection and must be made safe.
Pothole photos can be uploaded at www.potholepics.com.
This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 15 January 2025.