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Victorian roads remain in dire shape as Andrews Labor government waste billions of taxpayers money

The Andrews Labor government must urgently inject additional funds to repair Victoria's dilapidated road network as years of budget cuts, waste and last year's floods take their toll.

By news@gippsland - 3rd March 2023 - Back to News

Victorian roads remain in a dire position as state government funding for post-flood reconstruction runs out and local roads are ignored altogether. Recent media reports indicate that $130 million of Labor's allocated $165 million has already been spent for repairs of flood affected roads around the state.

Recent media reports indicate that $130 million of Labor's allocated $165 million has already been spent for repairs of roads around the state

Need for post-flood reconstruction

The Victorian Transport Association estimates $1 billion is needed for post-flood reconstruction and repair work. Meanwhile, the state government has not allocated a single cent to help local councils with the repair of local roads - the roads that take Victorians home and to work, school and shopping.

This is in stark contrast to the $500 million allocated by the NSW government to help councils with road repairs. The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has said local roads and bridges were already in dire straits before the floods, as everyone except Labor MPs seems to acknowledge.

Immediate need for funding

Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Danny O'Brien, said the Andrews Labor government needs to urgently allocate additional funding to repair roads Victorians rely on. "The money announced so far by the government is a drop in the ocean and doesn't go anywhere close to addressing affected roads," Mr O'Brien said.

"Labor is kidding itself if it thinks the poor state of our roads is the result of last year's floods - the crisis has been building since Labor's first cut to the road maintenance budget way back in 2015."

"Our arterial roads are still in need of significant work, while local councils are buckling under the weight of the road maintenance backlog they're facing, especially in rural and flood-affected areas." Mr O'Brien said.

The Nationals Leader Peter Walsh, Shadow Minister for Roads Danny O'Brien and Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad

Support in repairing local roads

\Mr O'Brien also said, "Labor needs to immediately announce more funding to repair our roads and reverse its $215 million budget cut from the past two years. Our roads can't wait till the budget in May, this needs to happen now."

Mr O'Brien said the MAV's pre-budget submission calls for a minimum $320 million program to support councils in repairing local roads. "After axing the Country Roads and Bridges program when it came to government, Labor has presided over an ever-deteriorating roads network, while wasting $30 billion of taxpayers' money on cost blow-outs on its mega-transport projects. Just imagine what those funds could have done for our roads."

Pictures from Regional Roads Victoria Facebook page and Danny O'Brien MP website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com