In several speeches throughout the week, Ms Lovell spoke of the third-world standard of local roads and highlighted Labor’s inadequate investment in properly maintaining the network over the past nine years of the Andrews Government.
Ms Lovell said cuts by Labor of 45 per cent to the road asset maintenance budget since 2020, including $260 million from this year’s state budget, meant regional roads remained unsafe, tragically coinciding with a dramatic increase in the number of deaths on regional roads.
“Victoria’s regional road network, particularly in northern Victoria, is third-world standard due to the systemic underinvestment by the Andrews Labor Government,” she said.
“While regional roads remain in a state of disrepair, sadly the state’s road toll continues to increase each year, with the majority of road deaths occurring in country Victoria.”
The TAC reported that as of midnight on August 17, 183 people had died on Victorian roads this year, an increase of 22 per cent on the same time last year.
Tragically 104 of these victims died on regional roads — an increase of 22 per cent on the same time last year.
“While people are tragically dying on our roads, Labor continues to cut road maintenance funding and it is past time for the Andrews Government to invest in regional roads to make them safer for all Victorians,” Ms Lovell said.
She highlighted the condition of several local roads, including Echuca Rd, McLennan St in Mooroopna and the Midland Hwy at Stewarton.
Ms Lovell said the roads had been littered with potholes for long periods of time and remained dangerous hazards to all road users, and that there were hundreds more in her electorate in a similar or worse condition.
She urged members of the public to help identify more dangerous local roads by contacting her with their concerns.
