Call to ‘Build Back Better’

A body representing regional and rural councils has called on state politicians to back infrastructure repairs, in the wake of recent flooding across the state.

Rural Councils Victoria (RCV), which represents 34 rural Local Government Areas, is calling on the next State Government to create a dedicated ‘Build Back Better Fund’ to help rural communities withstand future natural disasters.

RCV Chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said that many rural councils “have borne the brunt of the floods”, with repairs to the required standards expected to cost billions.

“Each rural council is responsible for thousands of kilometres of local roads but don’t have the rate base to be able to afford adequate road repairs, even in normal times,” Cr Brown said.

“Victoria’s food producers, manufacturers, transport operators and residents need a dedicated fund to ensure that roads are constructed, repaired, or reconstructed to a standard that can withstand frequent natural disasters. This means genuine long-term thinking.”

Cr Brown said poor and damaged rural roads cost everyone in the state, through slower farm transport pushing the price of food and other items up.

She also called on the State Government to declare a state-wide roads emergency.

The call for the Build Back Better Fund is part of RCV’s State Election Platform, which calls for reinstatement of the Fixing Country Roads program ($200 million over four years), an additional $200 million per year over 4 years for RRV, and $10 million per year over 4 years for roadside vegetation management and weed control.