Funding failure: Allan Government falls 25 per cent short of road repair target

A new report released today shows the state government has fallen significantly short of last year’s rural and regional road repair target. See the details.

The area of roads the government repairs each year has slumped from 14 million square metres in 2020-21 to just 9 million square metres in 2022-23.

The Victorian Government has fallen 25 per cent short of its road repair target, according to the Department of Transport and Planning 2022-23 annual report released today.

The report states that while the DTP met its targets on suburban roads, it only treated 9 million square metres of rural and regional roads - 25.6 per cent down on its 2022-23 target of 12.14m square meters target.

DTP performance is down due to what its bureaucrats stated were “increased costs arising from market price escalation, and an increase in pavement repair works to prepare for resealing and resurfacing due to heavy rain”.

Previous annual reports show the Andrews and now Allan Labor governments have dropped the ball on regional road works.

The 9 million square metres treated in 2022-23, compares to 11.48m square metres in 2021-22 and 14.11m square metres in 2020-2 - down 36 per cent over three years.

Liberal-Nationals Coalition roads spokesman Danny O’Brien said the shortfall was “obviously a consequence of ongoing cuts to the roads budget”.

“(But) obviously regional Victorians don’t need an annual report to tell them this,” Mr O’Brien said. “They see it every day in the appalling state of our roads.”

Labor’s Roads Minister Melissa Horne’s office said “last year’s floods and record rainfall caused unprecedented damage to our roads, requiring resources to be diverted from planned road maintenance to emergency repairs to get flood-affected roads re-opened and keep communities connected to vital supplies and services.

“With this year’s $770 million road maintenance blitz now underway, we’re getting on with delivering critical repairs that our regional roads need.

“Our road maintenance blitz will be delivered as part of the first phase of a 10-year, $6.6 billion maintenance strategy, future-proofing regional roads to make sure they last.”

EXTRACTS FROM LAST THREE YEARS’ OF DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT ANNUAL REPORTS

2022-23

Department of Transport Annual Report 2022-23.

2021-22

Department of Transport Annual Report 2021-22.

2020-21

Department of Transport Annual Report 2020-21.