Construction yet to commence on promised $10m Mallacoota-Genoa Rd upgrade four years after federal funding secured
A vital regional road that was “severely compromised” during the Black Summer bushfires is still yet to undergo a promised upgrade — despite the funding being provided in full four years ago.
Victoria
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A vital regional road that was “severely compromised” during the Black Summer bushfires is still yet to undergo a promised upgrade — despite the funding being provided in full four years ago.
Budget papers have revealed the Allan government has spent just 10 per cent of the funding provided by the federal government to upgrade the Mallacoota-Genoa Rd, which was deemed in need of an upgrade after devastating bushfires in the summer of 2019/20.
Thousands of Mallacoota residents and holiday-makers were forced to abandon their New Year’s plans after a huge bushfire surrounded the town in 2019.
The fire forced the closure of the lone road in and out of Mallacoota toward the Princes Highway, leaving huge crowds to take shelter on the foreshore as the town was plunged into darkness.
It sparked a major emergency response to evacuate the thousands of people who were stuck without adequate food, water or shelter. The Navy rescued nearly 1400 people by sea, while another 551 were evacuated by air.
The road remained shut for more than a month as crews worked to clear away burned trees and other hazards in the weeks after the devastation.
The chaos prompted federal member for Gippsland Darren Chester to call for an upgrade to the Mallacoota-Genoa Rd, demanding more resilient infrastructure and transport corridors for residents — especially in preparation for emergencies.
The federal government responded by granting the full $10m in funding toward the upgrade back in its 2021-22 budget. The project would include the realignment of a dangerous bend, curve widening and a slow vehicle lane.
But four years on from the win for East Gippsland, crews are yet to break ground on the project.
Just $1m has been spent on the upgrade to date, budget papers show, with only $2m more expected to be spent in the 2025-26 financial year.
It means $7m remains in the bank while the road sits in desperate need of the fixes.
“This is not a happy anniversary because it’s been four years since the money was secured in the budget with 100 per cent of the funding coming from the previous federal government,” Mr Chester said.
“The world can hold the Olympics every four years, you can finish a university degree in four years, but the Labor government in Victoria can’t fix the Mallacoota-Genoa Rd in four years, even when it’s not costing them a cent.”
The Allan government has forecast another 18-month wait before motorists will be able to drive on the upgraded road.
That comes after the government set aside four-and-a-half years to undertake “technical studies” including concept designs, economic evaluations and cultural heritage investigations.
Those studies are expected to wind up in late 2026 before road crews can finally break ground.
“At this stage we expect construction to start in the second half of 2026 and be completed in 2027,” the Transport Victoria web page stated.
But Mr Chester said he and his community had received minimal updates on the project, slamming it a “complete farce”.
“Even though constructing a more resilient and safer transport route was identified as a high-priority project by the local community after the bushfires, there is no sense of urgency in Minister Melissa Horne’s office or amongst the bureaucracy to get the work started,” he said.
“It’s well-known that regional motorists are disproportionately represented in road trauma statistics, and the majority of crashes occur on roads with limited safety features.
“Commonwealth-funded rural and regional road safety projects are lifesaving endeavours that should be pursued with a sense of urgency in partnership with other levels of government.”
In correspondence back in January, Minister for Roads Melissa Horne told Mr Chester that $500,000 had been used for preliminary designs, environmental and cultural heritage investigations.
“These investigations and evaluations are essential to ensure DTP meets the planning and environment legislative requirements and understand the associated approval pathways, time frames, and costs,” she wrote in January.
“Now that these details have been confirmed, DTP has lodged a detailed submission to the Australian government for the release of the remaining $9.5m funding to construct this project.”
Mr Chester slammed the decision to spend half a million dollars on the studies, saying he had already provided the government with a report “at no cost whatsoever” after his own meeting with business leaders, community members and emergency service representatives.
“Does it really take this long to widen a road within an existing road reserve and improve a surface that is crumbling and endangering lives?” Mr Chester asked.
When asked about the project, the Department of Transport said it had “completed design work and a number of environmental assessments — with major works expected to begin next year.”
The department said the project was complex being construction will need to take place within the Croajingolong National Park.
The department then referred to other improvements it had delivered at the road since the fires, separate to the federally-funded upgrade.
“The Victorian Government has delivered more than $4m of road safety improvements along sections of Mallacoota-Genoa Rd following the Black Summer bushfires, such as shoulder sealing, pavement strengthening and installation of targeted safety barriers,” a spokesperson said.
Originally published as Construction yet to commence on promised $10m Mallacoota-Genoa Rd upgrade four years after federal funding secured
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