Wednesday, 9 September 2026

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (19:05): (1831) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is to address the growing rubbish and illegal dumping issue on major state highways, particularly on the Calder Highway between Mildura and Ouyen and also on the Sunraysia and Mallee highways. I have been contacted numerous times, particularly over the last couple of months, with regard to the amount of rubbish that is being left at roadside stops. A lot of these stops – in fact all of these – do not have toilet facilities, and it has got to the point where there is human waste and toilet paper being left on the side of the road at these stops, despite Mildura and Ouyen only being about an hour apart. They also contain huge amounts of what appears to be illegal dumping – mattresses and household waste. But also, the bins that are there are regular street bins; they are not adequate. We obviously need to address this problem sooner rather than later.

I did go for a drive on Friday night to check on the situation myself. It appeared bins had been emptied, but the clean-up had not occurred. It is unsanitary. It is unsafe. It is also a hazard when the winds start to blow, and in our neck of the woods in October the winds are fierce, so to have dirty toilet paper and rubbish flying around is highly unsafe for road users along that stretch of highway, where the speed limit is 110. Also, it just looks awful. So my adjournment matter is for the roads and road safety minister to address that growing issue of illegal roadside dumping and rubbish.