Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish has called out the Victorian Government’s claim of record road funding as a sham. Last week in the Victorian Parliament the Roads and Road Safety Minister was forced to defend massive cuts to road repairs as the government “spending differently”. The latest Victorian Budget shows road resurfacing and rehabilitation works have fallen by 75 per cent in just four years, while road patching has plunged by 87 per cent. Ms McLeish said motorists were paying more and getting less. “Victorians are handing over more in taxes, charges and registration fees, yet the government is fixing fewer roads,” she said. “We are dodging potholes, crumbling road edges and rough surfaces every single day, but the government wants applause for spending money differently. “This Victorian Government must be measuring road repairs in millimetres instead of kilometres, with the state budget revealing what we already knew – a dramatic collapse in maintenance works despite claims of “record” funding.” Budget papers show regional road patching will be slashed from 556,000 square metres two years ago to just 76,000 square metres. Ms McLeish said regional motorists were tired of spin. “We don’t care how the government describes it —we care whether the pothole gets fixed before it destroys another tyre or suspension,” she said. “How does the government expect to fill 200,000 potholes when its own maintenance targets have fallen off a cliff? “Regional roads are deteriorating faster than they are being repaired, and we’re paying the price through vehicle damage, safety risks and taking longer to get anywhere.”
