Council
10 May, 2024
Roads ‘ignored’ in Budget
MEMBER for South West Coast Roma Britnell has expressed her concerns over what she claims is an apparent lack of funding for roads in this week’s State Budget.
Ms Britnell said the government had failed to adequately fund roads in the South West Coast region in the Budget.
Speaking in parliament earlier this week, Ms Britnell expressed her disappointment, stating that the region had “missed out” on vital funding.
She said she was disappointed that the overall allocation for state road funding was 16 percent less than what was allocated to road funding four years ago.
She extended an invitation to the Victorian Premier to come to South West Coast and have a first hand look at the condition of roads in the region.
“I’ve extended this invitation to successive Victorian road ministers because experiencing the dire state of our roads first hand is the only way to truly comprehend the severity of the situation,” Ms Britnell said.
Ms Britnell raised the Cobden-Warrnambool Road, which had witnessed a series of accidents recently, and where tragically, it took the death of a motorist to spark the government into action to commence fixing the road.
Ms Britnell told the Parliament that it was “disgraceful that an area as vital as South West Coast, which is renowned for its thriving and economically significant food and fibre sector, must deal with such appalling infrastructure”.
Ms Britnell also took the opportunity to call out the detrimental affects the condition of our roads was having on the freight industry in this region.
“I have lost count of the number of times that I have been contacted by transport companies, who recount tales of damage sustained from the treacherous condition of the roads,” Ms Britnell said.
“Our neglected roads pose a serious risk to the safety of South West Victorians. Every member of our community deserves the peace of mind of a safe journey home each day.”
