Wednesday, 13 August 2025

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:47): (1728) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and it concerns the perilous state of the Western Highway. We are not talking about some goat track in the bush; we are talking about one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the state, which runs right through my electorate. I have got to say it is in a very poor condition due to low state government funding. Roadworks are so badly needed. We are talking about potholes left, right and centre. It is like an obstacle course, trying to stop damage to your own vehicle, and some people have incurred thousands of dollars in damage. We are not talking just heavy vehicles; we are talking about cars, commuters and bike riders as well. It is not good. My question to the minister is: do you actually have a plan to fix this? Will you actually do something about it? Because it has been in a state like this for a long time. We see plenty of money being thrown around Melbourne, but a fraction of it is sent to country Victoria – a fraction. It is a total disgrace. The constituents I represent are not asking for anything outlandish; they just want to get home safely. It is not that big an ask. Why is country Victoria treated so badly by a Premier that is meant to be from there? She does not care.