Key Facts:
KEY FACTS:
· A feature in The Age (9 July 2026) described a "Pothole Rebellion" building across regional Victoria, with drivers reporting thousands in tyre and rim damage and tow trucks stretched thin after rain events on highways including the Hume and Goulburn Valley.
· Jane and Shane Foreman's car was seriously damaged by a pothole on their way to the Gold Coast earlier this month, requiring towing to Wangaratta and then Melbourne after an eight-week repair backlog, forcing them to fly to their destination instead. The vehicle is currently being repaired, with the cost covered by their insurer.
· The state government has budgeted approximately $1.04 billion for road maintenance and repairs this financial year, an amount regional Victorians say is not translating into lasting repairs on the ground.
· Just 1.3 per cent of pothole compensation claims lodged with the Department of Transport and Planning in 2023-24 resulted in a settlement offer, with a damage threshold of roughly $1,681 before any payment applies.
· The government's registration rebate for road damage has been criticised as inadequate compensation for the true cost of towing, repairs, hire cars and missed travel caused by pothole damage.
· National Party leader Danny O'Brien and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson have both raised regional road conditions as a major issue during recent visits to northern Victoria and Gippsland.
A recent feature in The Age put a name to what regional Victorians have lived through for years: a "Pothole Rebellion" — drivers spending thousands on tyres and rims, tow trucks working overtime after every downpour, and regional anger finally reaching boiling point. Family First's Jane Foreman knows that anger first-hand — because it happened to her.
"My husband and I were driving up for a trip to the Gold Coast recently when we hit a pothole and did serious damage to our car. It had to be towed to Wangaratta, but the repair wait there was eight weeks, so it was transferred all the way to Melbourne, and we ended up booking flights instead. The tow truck driver told us most people don't even bother claiming compensation because the process is too arduous — and those who do usually get refused anyway."
He wasn't exaggerating. Only around 1.3 per cent of pothole compensation claims lodged with the Department of Transport and Planning in 2023-24 resulted in a settlement, and drivers must prove the authority knew about the hazard and failed to fix it in time. Jane's insurer is covering the repair, so she doesn't even qualify to try — she's already paid the excess, and will wear a higher premium next year as a result.
Victoria's roads are being patched, not repaired. Family First believes the Allan Government's approach has been Band-Aid fixes rather than genuine repairs, even as billions are funnelled into city-centric Big Build projects. Once elected, Family First will push for a complete, independent review of where road maintenance funding is actually spent.
"The government's response to all this has been a rebate on car registration. Frankly, that's a slap in the face for anyone whose car has been damaged by a pothole. A small credit on your rego doesn't cover a tow, a rental car, missed flights, or a compensation system designed to say no — and it does nothing to fix the roads that caused the damage in the first place."
Family First believes regional and outer-suburban Victorians are paying the price for a government fixated on Melbourne's Big Build while local roads crumble. An independent audit of road funding is essential to restore trust that taxpayer money is properly spent fixing them the first time.
"Every family who has blown a tyre, bent a rim, or damaged a car on a Victorian pothole deserves better than a rebate and a claims system stacked against them. Family First will take this to every voter in November: do you want a government that Band-Aids the roads while the money disappears into the Big Build, or one that will finally fix regional Victoria's roads properly?"
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