Cleeland speaks to Melbourne media declaring Euroa’s road network one of the worst

By Faith Macale

Jan 24, 2024

Much needed repairs: State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland spoke about the poor condition of the Euroa electorate’s roads and the need for greater investment during a radio interview on 3AW.

State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland joined the 3AW Drive radio show in Melbourne to discuss the disappointing road conditions in the Euroa electorate.

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She told listeners that she believes its road network is one of the worst in the state.

The show also included interviews with concerned drivers from the electorate.

Ms Cleeland estimated up to 70 per cent of the roads repaired during the 2022 floods were impacted again during flooding at the start of the 2024.

“We are in desperate need of investment back into the roads budget, particularly for the betterment of these damaged roads rather than patch-up maintenance that continues to wash away every time we have floods or heavy traffic,” Ms Cleeland said.

“The Allan Labor Government has diverted money away from our regional communities and are ignoring critical responsibilities like the condition of our roads.

“Their sole focus seems to be on unnecessary Melbourne projects that continue to face out-of-control cost blowouts.“

A Victorian Government spokesperson, however, said it has recently invested $770 million to address issues with regional roads.

“While the Nationals deny the existence of climate change and the damage it’s causing to communities in regional Victoria, we're getting on with this year’s $770 million road maintenance blitz - delivering critical repair works to every kilometre of our road network,” the spokesperson said.

“What were previously considered once in a generation flood events are now commonplace, bringing record rainfall and inflicting unprecedented damage on our roads, which is why we're now delivering road maintenance as part of a $6.6 billion, 10-year strategy, allowing us to plan long-term and future-proofing regional roads."

However, according to Ms Cleeland, the Victorian Government has cut the road maintenance budget by 45 per cent since 2020, including a 25 per cent cut in last year’s budget.

She said Public Accounts and Estimates Committee evidence revealed that the Victorian Government has cut $230 million from road safety programs.

“With 174 lives lost on our regional roads last year, a 29 per cent increase, there is no excuse for these cuts,” Ms Cleeland said.

“On top of this, we are seeing compensation claims through the roof due to potholes and dodgy roads.”

“Drivers can no longer drive on the left side of the road, they have to drive on what is left of the road.”