Labor spinning stories about Victoria's regional roads
Regional Victoria's road network has never been in poorer condition; potholes, ruts, broken surfaces and poor drainage plague the network.
Independent analysis tells us this. The Victorian Auditor-General tells us this. Yet, according to the Andrews Labor Government's latest spin job, the roads in regional Victoria have never been better!
Labor's Roads Minister, Ben Carroll has been in the portfolio for almost three months now, but his grandiose reporting on Monday of Labor's 'massive road maintenance blitz' is just a slap in the face to regional Victorians.
As far back as 2017, the Auditor-General found VicRoads has no effective strategy when it comes to road maintenance and an inability to prioritise the most important projects, which leads to an over-reliance on expensive works.
If current practices continue – such as those that have led to multiple botched works on Henty Highway between Portland and Heywood - more than 65 per cent of the state's road network will be classified as 'poor' or worse by 2025. The worst of these are in regional Victoria.
As stated by Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, Roma Britnell:
"Every time a Victorian hits a pothole, they should remember Labor says the roads are 'smoother', 'stronger', and 'more durable'.
"Every time a Victorian hits roadworks on a fix to a botched road maintenance job, they should remember that Labor says their journey is 'more reliable'.
"Labor's Roads Minister needs to stop with the spin, be honest with Victorians about the terrible condition of regional roads, and fix them."
