Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to strongly support this motion. I was in Portland last week, in my electorate, and I say this to the Labor Party, both federal and state: there is growing anger about the state of the roads in regional Victoria, and they want to you to do something. I can tell you that people are going to take matters into their own hands if you don't start lifting your game, because they want action. And I can tell you why. It's because potholes are popping up everywhere.

It's not just on local roads; we're talking about main, arterial roads like the Princes Highway—50 per cent, now, is funded by the federal government and 50 per cent by the state. We used to fund 80 per cent, and then it was 20 per cent, but you cut that. People are starting to calculate how many potholes there are on these roads, because the situation has got so bad. We're not talking about 10 or 20; they are counting hundreds upon hundreds of potholes. The sides of the roads are deteriorating, and all they get is, 'We've got it under control, but, because things have got so bad, we might have to cut the speed limit.' They have to cut the speed limit! Rather than fix the roads, you're going to start cutting the speed limit? That shows you how badly you've handled this. The deterioration since you have been in government, and since the Victorian state government has been in charge in Victoria, sadly, for far too long, has seen the investment in our roads just deteriorate over time. People are saying, enough is enough. They're saying it in Bendigo, they're saying it in Ballarat, they're saying it in Geelong, they're saying in north-east Victoria and they're saying it in western Victoria: you are derelict in your duty to provide a road which is safe for them to be able to get their kids to school, to go to sport on the weekend and to practice their livelihoods.

I'm telling you, the community anger is continuing to rise because they also see billions upon billions of dollars going to major infrastructure projects in Melbourne, like the Suburban Rail Loop, which are over-time and over-budget and which have the CFMEU involved in them—and we all know what's happening there. And what does that mean? We continue to miss out. People have had enough. They want to feel safe taking their kids to school, they want to feel safe going to and from work and they want a government which can actually say, 'We get it, we care and we're going to take action.'

If any of you want an example, just go for a drive along the Princes Highway. No-one will come down and do it. Minister Bowen flew down to make an announcement. I said to him, 'Drive along the road.' He just jumped back on his plane and away he went, after announcing an offshore wind farm in the wrong area. This is how out of touch you are with what is happening on the ground. So it's time you got real investment into our roads so it will start right here and now because they are deteriorating beyond belief. In Victoria, what is happening to the road infrastructure there is a national disgrace—an absolute national disgrace. If you don't believe it, go and have a look. Once you'd had a look, you would say, 'No, that is not safe for people to have to drive on.' They wouldn't. Seriously!

This motion is about trying to get real action because, if we don't—people are sick of it. They're getting their tyres blown out, they're getting their rims broken. Their shock absorbers are getting damaged. These are daily occurrences. Cost-of-living is hurting families, and this is the financial pain that they're having to deal with.

Now we see the solution being put forward is, oh, we're going to make it 70 kays for you to drive, so that hurts your productivity even more. It doesn't fix the roads; all it does is say you that you're a second-class citizens. It's time you acted.

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