Thursday, 28 August 2025

Western Victoria Region

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:01): (1802) My question is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. For years the Central Goldfields Shire Council has successfully operated the VicRoads office in Maryborough on behalf of the state. Until July this year VicRoads covered staff wages and on-costs and contributed to rent and overheads, but under a new funding model VicRoads will now only pay a transaction fee, well below the actual cost of running the service. This leaves the small council with an impossible choice: either subsidise a core state responsibility out of ratepayers pockets or be blamed for cuts to services the community relies on. Minister, isn’t this just another shocking example of Labor’s financial mismanagement – running out of money and forcing everyone else to pay? Will you guarantee that the full range of VicRoads services will remain in Maryborough without cost shifting the bill onto council and the local ratepayers?

Sitting suspended 1:02 pm until 2:06 pm.