Thursday, 27 August 2026

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:44): (2558) My question is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. Evan Armstrong, who is the owner of Ballarat Mobile Tyres, says he has dealt with more than 200 smashed wheels and rims in the past two weeks alone. He has described that as the worst it has been for years. He said nine out of 10 times you hit a pothole, it is on one side of the car and you are going to do both wheels. A local resident, David, hit a pothole. He was expecting around $400 to $500 with a wheel alignment. It has cost him thousands of dollars. This is not uncommon for many people across Ballarat. My question to the minister is: why won’t you direct your department to fix the potholes around Ballarat, which are costing locals not just hundreds but thousands and thousands of dollars every single day? It is a total disgrace.