Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. Boral has this week announced redundancies in its roadworks division, the closure of roadwork depots at North Geelong and Lysterfield and the mothballing of depots at Bendigo and Geelong. If the government is doing so much road maintenance, why are road contractors winding down their businesses in Victoria?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Glen Waverley can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Glen Waverley withdrew from chamber.

 Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Minister for Health Infrastructure) (14:38): Once again I thank the member for Gippsland South for the opportunity to outline just how much money we are spending on roads across Victoria. Just recently I was out in South-West Coast, actually, having a look at some of the investment out there with an asphalting plant that has just gone in there. We are a government that has spent –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for South-West Coast withdrew from chamber.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of relevance, one of the depots that is closing is an asphalting plant.

The SPEAKER: I ask you, Minister, to come back to the question.

Melissa HORNE: As you can appreciate, we are investing nearly a billion dollars this year, on top of nearly a billion dollars last year, in improving our roads across the state.

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:39): Bronwyn Drummond from Pakenham was one of more than two dozen motorists who suffered damage to their cars due to a massive pothole on the Princes Highway at Nar Nar Goon last weekend. Ms Drummond said:

… it’s going to cost us thousands and thousands …

We’re already behind on bills, we don’t know how we’re going to fix it …

Why are Victorians like Ms Drummond and Boral workers who have lost their jobs paying the price because Labor cannot manage money and cannot manage roads?

 Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Minister for Health Infrastructure) (14:39): In relation to the incident that occurred at Nar Nar Goon, I would suggest that the person that you mentioned reaches out to the department of transport and lodges a claim through that. However, let us be really clear about our sustained investment over a decade into our roads and into our road maintenance. Unlike those on the other side, who might invest in a road to Malvern, might invest in a road to Bulleen and currently are investing in a road to Kew, we have got a sustained 10-year investment in improving our roads.