Community
1 May, 2026
Roads funding again in spotlight
THE state government’s $1.04 billion inclusion in the 2026/27 Budget to ‘rebuild, repair and resurface’ roads across Victoria has come under fire from local MP Roma Britnell.
According to the government, the money is enough to get rid of 200,00 potholes, 200,000 graffiti tags and much more.
In a statement issued late last week, the government said this funding was the biggest road blitz in the state’s history, with 70 per cent of the funds going to regional Victoria.
However, according to Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell, this budget pothole funding “exposes the government’s failure on roads.”
“This latest announcement from the Allan Labor Government has revealed its pothole fixing program for exactly what it is - a government celebrating failure,” she said.
“By making pothole repairs a headline budget initiative, the government has confirmed its approach to roads is reactive, short term and fundamentally flawed.
“They are not maintaining a road network, they are chasing its collapse. Potholes are not the problem. They are the symptom of roads that have already failed through neglect, poor drainage, deteriorating surfaces and delayed resurfacing.”
Ms Britnell believes you cannot fix a pothole in any meaningful or lasting way.
“You can only patch it again and again until the road is properly resurfaced or rebuilt,” she said.
“Every patch is temporary, every repair breaks down and every taxpayer dollar is spent again.
“It is like repainting a wall that is rotting underneath. It may look better for a moment, but the decay continues and the cost keeps mounting.
“This is exactly what the Allan Labor Government is doing, pouring more of our taxpayer money into a repetitive cycle that delivers no lasting outcome. More crews, more patches, more announcements, yet roads across south west Victoria continue to deteriorate.”
Ms Britnell believes good governments prevent potholes.
“Good governments invest in resurfacing, drainage and long-term asset management. They fix the road properly once rather than fix the same hole 10 times,” she said.
“What we are seeing in this Budget is not investment, it is an admission that the road network has been allowed to run down so badly that all the government can now do is manage the damage.”
She said Victorians deserve roads that last, not potholes that keep coming back.
“This program doesn’t fix roads, it manages their failure.
“You don’t fix roads by chasing potholes. You fix roads by fixing roads.
“Potholes are what happen when governments stop maintaining infrastructure properly. We all deserve roads that last, not potholes that keep coming back.”
