Thursday, 28 November 2024

 Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (17:26): (963) My adjournment tonight is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to respond to motions passed by two CFA groups in my electorate at a recent meeting. Today I received a letter from these CFA groups – not individual brigades, but CFA groups. This is what they had to say about our roads. They say:

This decline in quality is now impacting emergency services organisations to deliver a timely and safe response. It is also causing undue wear and tear on their appliances –

some of which are –

… aged well over 30 years old.

This is the brigades, the groups.

Roads such as the Mallacoota Genoa Rd, Bonang Rd, Princes Hwy and Monaro Hwy have become increasingly difficult to navigate due to dangerously severe potholes, uneven services, and deteriorating signage.

They say that historically Victorian roads were the envy of motorists when they were crossing over the border and into New South Wales but that now ‘there is a discernible difference’ and ‘the difference is not favourable’ to Victorian roads. The degraded road surface along the Monaro Highway and the Princes Highway – on the highways – means the speed limit has been put down to 40 kilometres an hour because of the damage to the roads.

With the lack of repairs, maintenance and safety railings, safety of all road users has been compromised.

This is the CFA brigade groups. These are our emergency services workers raising these concerns.

Although the Government has by choice undertaken … tunnelling –

and this is them talking still –

and other … projects, this should not come at the cost of … our existing road network …

The motions that they passed that we want the minister to answer are as follows:

1.   The previous federal government committed funding to repair the Mallacoota Genoa Road … When will these funds be expended on this severely deteriorated, but vitally important road?

2.   Will the Minister accept a degree of responsibility for any fatal or serious injury collisions that occur on the Mallacoota Genoa Road, Princes Highway, Bonang Highway and the Monaro Highways due to neglect on the Minister’s watch?

3.   What financial, physical and emotional cost should those who are forced to travel on unsafe country roads, consider acceptable, to enable a replication of public transport and road network under the Melbourne metropolitan area.

And, might I add, it is not that great there either. My adjournment is to ask the minister to respond to these motions via her response to me.