Auditor-General confirms what RCV has said all along
MEDIA RELEASE
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
