Thursday, 10 September 2026

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (22:05): (2808) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to ensure that the unacceptable and dangerous state of Beechworth-Wangaratta Road is repaired to a high standard. What would a week be without another dangerous, crumbling, potholed road to highlight in northern Victoria? The Beechworth-Wangaratta Road is a busy tourist thoroughfare, cutting through some of the most beautiful scenery in northern Victoria. It leads thousands of visitors each week to the historic town of Beechworth. Unfortunately visitors are greeted with large, deep potholes, crumbling surfaces and deep rutting. The potholes just west of the Beechworth welcome sign have been reported numerous times by constituents, visitors and the Indigo shire, and they are still not fixed. While I acknowledge the Premier’s recent announcement of yet more funding to fix potholes, it is a fact that regional roads are failing. The Victorian-Auditor General’s Office report released this week shows that 47.98 per cent of the Hume region’s roads are in very poor condition. This is completely unacceptable. Something needs to change. The state cannot just keep throwing hot mix into potholes and calling it a day. The underlying causes of the failing road system need to be thoroughly investigated and fixed to a higher standard. Our regional motorists should not have to accept subpar repairs and a continuously failing road network. Minister, fix the roads and fix them right.