Auditor-General confirms what RCV has said all along

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The Victorian Auditor-General has confirmed what Regional Cities Victoria has been saying for years – Victoria cannot patch its way out of a deteriorating regional road network.

RCV Chair Cr Ben Blain said the Maintaining State Roads report provided independent confirmation that short-term, reactive repairs were no substitute for sustained investment in maintaining and renewing the state’s roads.

“The Auditor-General has put the evidence behind what regional communities have been telling government for years – our roads are deteriorating faster than we are fixing them,” Cr Blain said.

“Regional Victoria has 82 per cent of the state road network, and more than half of our state roads are now rated poor or very poor in terms of their remaining useful life.

“Potholes get the headlines, but the Auditor-General confirms the bigger problem is what is happening underneath them. We need to invest in the life of the road, not just the hole in the road.”

RCV has consistently called for a shift away from short-term road repair programs towards sustained investment in maintenance and renewal.

It is calling on all parties ahead of the November State Election to commit to a $2 billion Regional Roads Package over four years, providing an additional $500 million a year for regional roads.

“The Government’s additional $352 million this year is welcome, but the Auditor-General’s findings reinforce what we have said all along that one-off funding cannot solve a long-term problem,” Cr Blain said.

“We’re asking for $2 billion over four years – an additional $500 million a year to start turning our regional roads around. That’s a pretty measured ask when the Auditor-General’s report shows the Government’s own department estimates more than $3 billion is needed every year just to maintain pavement conditions and replace ageing assets.

“After years of neglect regional Victorians deserve a funded plan that means the network is getting better, not progressively worse.

“The Auditor-General has confirmed the obvious diagnosis, now we need a long-term treatment plan.”

ENDS

Media: Emily Broadbent 0413 133 627

30 of the state’s roads that need fixing now

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Regional Cities Victoria has written to Premier Ben Carroll outlining 30 priority roads across Victoria’s 10 largest regional cities that should be first in line for repairs under his additional $352 million road maintenance.

RCV Chair Cr Ben Blain said the Government’s acknowledgement that the condition of Victoria’s roads was “not good enough” would mean little unless additional funding translated quickly into crews on the ground fixing the state roads regional Victorians use every day.

“The Premier has acknowledged what regional Victorians have been saying for years – our road network is broken,” Cr Blain said.

“We’ve now given the Government a clear list of 30 state roads across our 10 regional cities that need urgent attention.

“If there is additional money available and more maintenance crews being deployed, we want these roads at the front of the queue.”

RCV members have each nominated three priority roads for urgent fixing:

City	Priority roads
Ballarat	Ballarat–Carngham Road; Western Highway; Western Highway and Brewery Tap Road intersection
Bendigo	Calder Highway; Midland Highway; Loddon Valley Highway
Geelong	Fellmongers Road / Boundary Road; Pioneer Road; Geelong Ring Road
Horsham	Horsham–Kalkee Road; Wimmera Highway; Natimuk–Hamilton Road
Latrobe	Hazelwood Road; Monash Way, Churchill; Moore Street, Moe and Shakespeare Street, Traralgon
Mildura	Benetook Avenue; Eleventh Street; Werrimull Road
Shepparton	Goulburn Valley Highway and Hume Freeway; Echuca Road to Murray Valley Highway; Tatura–Murchison Road
Wangaratta	Wangaratta–Whitfield Road; Greta Road; Murdoch Road
Warrnambool	Princes Highway; Hopkins Highway; Princes Highway, Allansford
Wodonga	Murray Valley Highway; Bandiana Link Road; Kiewa Valley Highway

Cr Blain said the additional $352 million was finally recognition of the scale of the problem, but it would not undo years of underinvestment in regional infrastructure.

“Postponing metropolitan projects so money can be spent fixing the infrastructure Victorians rely on every day is the right priority,” Cr Blain said.

“For too long, billions have continued to flow into major Melbourne projects while regional roads have deteriorated and dedicated regional investment has disappeared.

“The Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund was scrapped in 2023 and regional communities have been left without a dedicated fund to build the infrastructure that creates jobs, unlocks housing and supports growing communities.

“Fixing these 30 roads would be a good start, but Victoria needs to address the much bigger regional infrastructure deficit.”

RCV is calling on all parties contesting the November State Election to commit to a $2 billion Regional Roads Package over four years, providing an additional $500 million a year above business-as-usual maintenance funding to fix the regional road network.

It is also seeking a $1 billion Regional Growth Fund to invest in enabling infrastructure that unlocks new housing, creates jobs and drives economic growth across regional Victoria.

“Beyond the immediate repairs, regional Victoria needs a long-term investment plan that stops our roads and infrastructure reaching these conditions in the first place,” Cr Blain said.

“We have invited the Premier and Roads Minister Paul Hamer to join us in any of our 10 regional cities. We’re more than happy to show them first-hand where and why this investment is needed.”

Media: Emily Broadbent 0413 133 627

RCV welcomes pledge for country roads and bridges

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Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) has welcomed the Coalition’s commitment to reinstate the Country Roads and Bridges Program, saying it restores a proven model that trusts regional councils to identify local road priorities and get on with fixing them.

Under the commitment, eligible rural and regional councils receive $1.5 million annually to invest in local roads and bridges.

RCV Chair Cr Ben Blain said the Country Roads and Bridges Program worked because it trusted local councils to identify local problems and get on with fixing them.

“Dangerous intersections, ageing bridges and deteriorating roads could be addressed quickly and practically because the people making the decisions were the people who use those roads every day and know what needs to be done,” Cr Blain said.

“Local communities know their priorities better than anyone sitting behind a desk in Melbourne.

“What’s needed in Mildura isn’t necessarily what’s needed in Geelong, Warrnambool or Wodonga. A dedicated funding stream gives councils the ability to put the money where it will make the biggest difference in their community.

“That is why RCV has consistently called for the Country Roads and Bridges Program to be reinstated, and we welcome the Coalition committing to bring it back.

“If we’re serious about rebuilding our regional road network, programs that empower local action have to be part of the solution.”

Cr Blain said the program should complement, rather than replace, the significant additional investment required in Victoria’s state-managed regional road network.

“Councils can fix the local roads and bridges they manage, but they can’t fix the highways and arterial roads that are the State Government’s responsibility. That’s why RCV is continuing to call for an additional $2 billion over four years for regional road maintenance and upgrades, above existing road maintenance funding.”

Cr Blain said regional Victoria needs both sustained investment in our state road network and direct funding that empowers councils to fix the local roads and bridges their communities rely on every day.

“RCV welcomes this commitment and wants to see all parties recognise that rebuilding regional Victoria’s road network requires long-term, dedicated investment informed by local advice.”

Media: Emily Broadbent 0413 133 627