The cancellation of the recent Cohuna Bridge to Bridge fund raiser has created ripples through the halls of power in Melbourne and is still causing discussion about the huge jump in traffic management fees from $2000 to more than $22000 with less than a week’s notice.

After The [Koondrook and Barham] Bridge ran the story in our March 6 edition, we received a call from the Premier’s office asking to have more input into the story. Although The [Koondrook and Barham] Bridge did contact the Department Transport and Planning media department for an official response before publishing, we received no reply.

We did, however, receive some great help from an employee of the department in getting to the bottom of the reasons behind the decisions.

The Nationals Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, has weighed in and says the Cohuna Bridge to Bridge could have been successfully staged in 2025 with some simple communication.

“When the Allan Labor government blindly absorbed the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management – without, for a second, stopping to consider about its impact at a grassroots level – it unleashed a bureaucratic blitz which could destroy community events across regional Victoria,” Mr Walsh stated.

“Organised by Cohuna Neighbourhood House, with around 300 competitors, the Bridge to Bridge got the bombshell news from GAME, the company the Allan Labor government has given the green light to manage road closures and the stop-and-go workers, within a week of the event starting.

“What a joke, and organisers were left with no choice but to cancel.

“But with some basic investigation, it turns out GAME was going for broke in its chase for profit, and the event could have been staged with just four traffic controllers.

“Even worse, any community event can have some volunteers complete a short, formal training course, and provide its own traffic managers rather than wasting valuable revenue on money-grabbing private enterprise more worried about profits than people.”

The Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson, after being provided with an in-depth set of questions, responded with the following statements.

“Event organisers are responsible for contracting a traffic management company, however, we will work with the organisers of the Cohuna Bridge to Bridge to find a solution that works for the community next time,” the spokesperson said

“It is important that all events, regardless of their size, are run safely and that also includes ensuring traffic controllers are in place to keep the community safe on the road.”

Mr Walsh says if GAME and/or the Allan Labor government “had a shred of community interest at heart” it could have conveyed all that information much sooner, instead of disappointing hundreds of people and costing Cohuna some much-needed investment.

“It’s one thing to have national standards for major work projects and road closures, but that has virtually no connection with small community events vital to support life in little country towns,” Mr Walsh added.

“In 2024 the Bridge to Bridge was run trouble free and successfully with two traffic controllers – this year to run the same event it was told it must pay for 20 or not get a permit.

“The impact of this stupid, stupid decision, which is so typical of the Allan Labor government with its passion for red, green and black tape and employing 10 people where one will suffice, would have kept spreading if someone didn’t ask the right questions.

“And when I did, the answers were eye-opening, but for the average person in the street, navigating the Allan Labor government’s red, green, and black tape, is all-too-often an overwhelming challenge.

“This wasn’t just a stupid decision, it was potentially a heartbreaking one, because many of these events are the very fabric of small country communities.”

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 20 March 2025.
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