The Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has condemned the Allan Labor Government after her office received almost 100 reports of dangerous road conditions across the electorate in just one week, with families left facing thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs because of roads Labor has failed to maintain.
With thousands of Victorians travelling during the school holidays, Ms Cleeland said the deteriorating state of regional roads had become a serious public safety risk that families could no longer afford.
“Over the past week alone, my office has been inundated with reports from people who have blown tyres, cracked and bent rims, damaged suspension, destroyed steering racks and, in some cases, had vehicles written off entirely after hitting potholes and dangerous sections of road,” Ms Cleeland said.
“This is no longer the odd pothole. Across regional Victoria our roads are literally falling apart, and families are paying the price for years of Labor neglect.”
“People don’t expect every road to be perfect, but they do expect dangerous roads to be repaired before they destroy cars or cause a fatal accident. Instead, Labor waits until roads fail, patches them up, and sends the bill to motorists when those same potholes reopen weeks later.”
Ms Cleeland said the cost went far beyond vehicle repairs.
“Every damaged car means another family finding money they don’t have during a cost of living crisis. It means missed work, cancelled appointments, children unable to get to school and businesses losing productivity because regional Victorians have no alternative to driving.”
“For motorcyclists, the consequences can be far worse. A pothole that bends a wheel on a car can throw a rider from their bike. These roads are dangerous.”
Ms Cleeland said the crisis reflected Labor’s failure to invest fairly in regional Victoria.
“Regional Victoria is home to one in four Victorians, yet receives barely half its fair share of infrastructure funding. That is a political choice, and regional communities are living with the consequences every single day.”
“Regional families deserve a Fair Share Guarantee. If country Victoria is home to 25 per cent of the population, it should receive 25 per cent of infrastructure investment.”
Ms Cleeland also criticised the Allan Labor Government’s compensation policy, saying motorists were effectively expected to pay for the government’s own failures.
“The Department of Transport will not even consider compensation claims unless the damage exceeds $1,681, meaning families are expected to absorb the first thousands of dollars in repairs caused by roads the government has failed to maintain.
“The Allan Labor government expects motorists to pay registration, maintain their vehicles and comply with every road rule. The least Victorians should expect in return is a road that won’t destroy their car.”
Ms Cleeland said a future Liberals and Nationals Government would restore regional Victoria’s fair share of infrastructure funding and prioritise rebuilding roads properly rather than endlessly patching potholes.
“Regional Victorians have had enough of excuses, enough of patch-up jobs and enough of paying for Labor’s neglect.”
“We will restore regional Victoria’s fair share of infrastructure funding, rebuild our roads properly and make sure country families are no longer treated as second-class citizens.”
