Victorian Nationals launch pothole campaign: What’s your worst?

The Coalition wants photographs from the public of Victoria’s worst potholes, to build a calendar that will be presented to the Premier.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy at a Rupanyup pothole with a birthday cake marking another year without it being repaired.

The Liberal-Nationals Coalition is running a photo campaign, urging Victorians to post images of the worst of their local potholes to create a “Potholes for All Seasons” calendar for 2025.

Frustrated road users can post their photos on potholepics.com, which will be used to put pressure on the Labor government over the worsening condition of local roads.

One the calendar is completed it will be presented to Premier Jacinta Allan.

Nationals’ MP for Lowan Emma Kealy said Victoria’s roads had been going backwards for years after successive Labor road maintenance budget cuts.

“Our communities know our roads are in a deplorable state and they are sick of it. This calendar will be one way for motorists to vent while at the same time putting pressure on the government to improve our roads,” she said.

The Labor Government has repeatedly promoted its $964 million road maintenance blitz, as part of what it argues is “the largest single-year investment towards road maintenance in Victoria’s history”.

But the government’s own data shows road maintenance works in regional Victoria plummeted 95 per cent last financial year, with only 422,000 square metres of road rehabilitated or resurfaced compared with nine million square metres the year prior.

A 2023 independent survey of 8400km of state roads found that 91 per cent were in poor or very poor condition.

The National Transport Research Organisation survey showed the percentage of regional roads classed as “fair” or better plummeted from 70 per cent during 2022 to just 9 per cent during 2023 – and none of the roads surveyed were rated in good or very good condition.

Ms Kealy said “our cars must be roadworthy, but our roads are far from carworthy, and the condition of regional roads is now the biggest safety concern for motorists.”