Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

'Just fix our bloody roads.' That is the constant message I'm receiving from Gippslanders. Whether it's from families, truck drivers or holidaymakers, they are coming to my office and they are complaining that our road network is falling apart. It's falling apart because the Labor Party, at state level and at federal level, is starving regional Victorians of road funding for maintenance and improvements to their road network. We are all expected to drive cars that are roadworthy. Surely, then, it's reasonable to expect our governments to give us roads that are car-worthy.

The worst example is the Princes Highway, which is the main arterial route through Gippsland and which links our community right through to the New South Wales border. Would you believe the Albanese government has not provided a single cent in new funding for the Princes Highway in more than four years in government? This is a disgrace—not one dollar in new funding for the major highway that runs through Gippsland in four years. No wonder we are dodging potholes and the road shoulders are falling apart. It's endangering people's lives and adding to the cost-of-living pressures as people have to fix their cars because the government won't fix the roads.

It gets worse. Would you believe there's unallocated funding available for the highway? Last year, Senate estimates confirmed there's $133.8 million in unallocated funding still available for use on the Princes Highway, which is money that was left in the highway fund from the previous coalition government. The work's not getting done, because the state government won't pay its share. The message is clear. Just fix the bloody roads.

Cycling Without Age is a worldwide phenomenon. There are more than 3,000 chapters right around the world and 46 chapters in Australia. It was first established in 2012 in Denmark. Cycling Without Age, I'm proud to say, has been established in Gippsland through a committee that I have organised with some local volunteers. It is a social and community enterprise which is bringing people of all ages together. In particular, it's giving older Australians a chance to reduce their loneliness and social isolation.

We are giving older Gippslanders the opportunity to feel the wind in their hair again, to get on a bike or on a trishaw and be treated to a ride through the streets of their towns right across Gippsland. I think it's a fantastic initiative that I'm determined to grow across the Gippsland region in the years ahead. Congratulations to Cycling Without Age Gippsland and to the volunteers who are helping us already. I look forward to many more rides as we continue to support our older members of our community.

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