Statement from RCV Chair Cr Ben Blain: Roads funding

MEDIA RELEASE

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Today’s $352 million toward further road maintenance is a long overdue acknowledgement by the Victorian Government that the condition of our road network is simply not good enough.

Victoria did not get into this position overnight and we will not patch our way out of it in one summer.

Years of chronic underinvestment have left too many regional roads at the point where they need rebuilding, not simply another temporary repair.

RCV will continue to call for a $2 billion Regional Roads Package over four years – an additional $500 million every year above existing road maintenance funding – to begin the long-term task of restoring the state’s regional road network.

For years, regional Victorians have watched billions in cost overruns absorbed by Melbourne’s Big Build while the roads connecting our communities, farms, businesses and freight networks have continued to deteriorate.

What regional Victoria now needs is a sustained, long-term commitment to rebuilding safer roads that are fit for the people and industries that rely on them.

Media: Emily Broadbent 0413 133 627