VFF urge action to fix regional roads

TRAVELLING the regions you always hear about the three Rs – roads, rates and rubbish – with the poor state of country roads emphasised by many farmers, who then question the amount of rates they pay for very little service to their road infrastructure.

When concerned ratepayers complain to council, the most likely response is that funding cuts from the other two levels of government are leaving council with a shortfall in their road maintenance budget.

So, the recent $675 million state government regional roads maintenance blitz is welcomed by many but still falls way short, according to peak bodies such as the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF).

Although the VFF has welcomed the Victorian government’s contribution, they are calling for substantially more funding to repair the state’s crumbling and dangerous road network.

VFF president Emma Germano urged the government to get on with the job and called for new, long-term regional roads focussed funding to fix Victoria’s dilapidated road network.

“Anyone driving in regional Victoria knows our roads are a crumbling mess and, in some areas, absolute death traps.”

This funding was announced during May’s state Budget and while it’s welcomed, the VFF urge the government to urgently get on with the job of fixing roads.

“We need less talking and more doing, there’s no time to waste as our roads crumble around us,” Ms Germano said.

“Every day our roads remain in the state they are, it’s not only costing millions in lost productivity, people are tragically losing their lives.

“Actions speaks louder than words and we can’t afford to wait any longer, we never should have been in this position in the first place.”

The VFF has long been consistently calling for a sustained regional road funding plan to ensure the roads are maintained to a basic standard.

Ms Germano said maintaining roads was a much safer, efficient and overall less costly strategy than what we find ourselves facing at the moment.

“The current review of Victoria’s Freight Strategy provides an opportunity for the Victorian Government to develop a long-term plan to maintain and improve our roads.

“Our regional road network is the vital link that connects our regions to critical export markets around the world via our port and airports.

“Now is the time for the government to deliver a modern and efficient freight network. “We shouldn’t have to make do with a network that puts a handbreak on our sector and we absolutely will not accept dangerous roads.”