Purcell hopes inquiry will lead to road funding changes

AN INQUIRY into VicRoads’ management of country roads has been referred to the next state Parliament, but the MP that instigated it says it’s clear that change is needed at the roads authority.

In November 2016, following a motion from independent Member for Western Victoria James Purcell, the Law Reform, Road and Community Safety Committee was asked to examine the existing funding model and its lack of effectiveness for country Victoria, the lack of consultation with regional communities and their lack of input into prioritising which roads require repair, and the option of dismantling VicRoads and creating two specific bodies for country roads and metropolitan roads.

The committee tabled an interim report last week.

Mr Purcell said the state of Victoria’s country roads was an ongoing issue that he and other regional MPs had constantly raised in Parliament.

He said a key point in the report was that remote and regional roads received less external commonwealth funding than urban roads on a per kilometre basis, with urban arterial roads receiving about 14 times more external funding (excluding own source revenue) and urban local roads getting about five times more external funding.

Of VicRoads’ 25,000 kilometres of roads, 19,000 kilometres are in rural and regional areas.

“Over 75 percent of VicRoads’ road management responsibilities lie in regional Victoria and these roads are in dreadful condition,” Mr Purcell said.

“I take from this that that VicRoads isn’t doing its job and something needs to change.”

He said his main taking from the inquiry was that change was needed to the way regional roads were managed if the state had any hope of bringing its roads up to an acceptable standard.

“I sincerely hope the next Parliament will use this as a springboard for change. It’s essential to the smooth running of our state, our regional businesses and communities, and tourism that our roads are safe and in good repair.”