The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has slammed the Allan Labor Government for abandoning regional road safety, after government data confirmed local drivers are being forced to risk their lives on some of Victoria’s deadliest roads.
Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) findings show nearly two-thirds of Victoria’s major roads are rated just one or two stars for safety. In regional Victoria, 29 per cent of roads are rated one star, and 91 per cent are in poor or very poor condition.
Ms Benham said the findings confirm what regionals Victorians already know.
“Anyone who travels our roads can see they’re falling apart with potholes, crumbling shoulders and ‘rough surface’ signs everywhere. These aren’t minor inconveniences, they’re daily dangers for local families, farmers and emergency services,” she said.
Across the Mildura electorate, several key routes have been given the lowest possible rating of one star, including:
- Mallee Highway – Ouyen to South Australian border
- Hattah–Robinvale Road
- Robinvale–Sea Lake Road
- Hopetoun–Sea Lake Road
Unsurprisingly, the Calder Highway, from Mildura to Bendigo, is rated mostly two stars, dangerously low for one of the state’s busiest regional roads.
“The government’s neglect continues to put lives at risk. This is a major freight and commuter route. Labor has left it to fall apart, forcing every driver and every family to navigate a road that isn’t safe,” Ms Benham said.
“Labor keeps boasting about road maintenance blitzes, but the evidence is plain to see – regional roads are deteriorating faster than they’re being fixed. Meanwhile, billions are wasted on city projects running years behind schedule,” she said.
“Labor can’t manage money, it can’t manage road safety and regional Victorian families are paying the price.”
