Northern Victoria communities will benefit from a new Country Roads and Bridges Program under a Liberals and Nationals Government, with $288 million committed to repair, upgrade and maintain regional roads and bridges across Victoria.
The commitment will provide each of Victoria’s 48 rural and regional councils with $1.5 million a year for four years in untied funding, commencing in the 2027-28 State Budget, allowing councils to address local priorities and deliver long-overdue infrastructure improvements.
The Nationals’ Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad said the investment would help tackle deteriorating roads and bridges that continue to frustrate and endanger regional communities.
“People across Northern Victoria are sick of driving on roads riddled with potholes and navigating bridges that have been allowed to deteriorate,” Ms Broad said.
“In Castlemaine today I spoke with a young man who has helped twelve people change tyres after hitting potholes.”
“Regional communities deserve safe and reliable roads, and this commitment will give councils the certainty they need to plan and deliver the projects that matter most locally.”
Ms Broad said regional Victorians had waited long enough for action after Labor abolished the program in 2015.
“Labor scrapped this successful program, but a Liberals and Nationals Government will bring it back and put decision-making in the hands of local councils, not bureaucrats in Melbourne,” Ms Broad said.
The commitment builds on the broader $5 billion plan to repair and rebuild Victoria’s roads, eliminate one million potholes and restore a planned system of preventative road maintenance.
Danny O’Brien, Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety, said the investment would help deliver a fairer outcome for regional Victoria.
“Regional Victorians have had enough of driving around on neglected roads, and the Nationals will make it a priority to get our roads to an acceptable standard,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Under a Nationals and Liberals government, we will deliver a Fair Share for Regional Victorians and deliver safer roads and bridges to make life easier for regional Victorians and businesses that rely on our roads every day.”
Media Contact: Linda Barrow 0484 303 764 linda.barrow@parliament.vic.gov.au
