PEOPLE from across the Mallee electorate frequently ask me about the horrible state of our roads and what I can do to fix them.
The Commonwealth provides significant funding for highways and arterial roads and funding to state governments for roads.
Local councils shoulder the overwhelming burden for many of the local roads you drive on.
Recent wet seasons and flooding have severely damaged our roads.
The Albanese Labor government left the road black spot program short by $85 million in its first two years in government while also leaving councils hanging for more than six months for Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement reimbursement for their repairs to flood-damaged roads.
Some councils drew on the successful Local Roads and Community Infrastructure fund the Coalition created in government to pay for road repairs, which means you don’t get the road and community facility upgrades you need either.
Worse still, Labor is closing the LRCI program by June 2026.
In short, the reason your roads are in such bad shape is Labor is using regional Australia as a piggy-bank for budget savings to pay for its city pet projects, such as the budgetary black hole called the Suburban Rail Loop.
For regional road users, Labor’s cost-shifting is downright dangerous.
I hosted many of the 12 Mallee councils in Canberra in early July at The Nationals’ party room to talk with our leadership team, including David Littleproud and Shadow Minister for Local Government, Darren Chester.
Councils are concerned about the sustainability of their budgets and, despite promising to improve council finances at the May 2022 election, the Albanese Labor government has kicked that can so far down the road it has disappeared into a pothole.
I commend our mayors and councillors who give so much of their time in challenging budget circumstances.
With local government elections looming later in the year, I encourage dedicated community-minded people to throw their hats in the ring to help secure long-term reform for our roads, towns and regional cities.
