Rural and regional roads
Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (16:40): The roads of western Victoria, south-western Victoria and across the seat of Polwarth are in ruin this year. The RACV has confirmed what every single resident living right across the Polwarth region has known for a long, long time now. This government has not got the money, has not got the resources and has not got the capacity to properly manage one of the most important infrastructure networks that we need to thrive and survive in Victoria. This government’s dealing and wheeling with the CFMEU here in Melbourne is costing jobs, it is costing livelihoods and it is costing huge expense for the transport industry and to cars alone. The Princes Highway on the east side of Colac in the past week has seen massive craters taking not only small cars off the road but massive B-double transports. This is a crisis if it continues. We have heard in recent times there has been a 95 per cent reduction in road surfacing and maintenance across our regional roads. This is unsustainable. With the government so entrenched in debt, with its commitments to the CFMEU on big, bloated projects here in Melbourne, people of regional Victoria will continue to suffer. They will suffer with poor roads, dangerous roads and a complete and utter lack and loss of productivity that is so vital to make us thrive.