Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) | Link to this | Hansard source

As at the last election, the AEC boundary changes meant that the town of Kilmore came into the electorate that I represent, the electorate of Nicholls, and Kilmore is one of the oldest inland towns in Australia. It's a beautiful place. It has bluestone buildings, a historic jail and a monument to Hume and Hovell. It's also one of the fastest growing regional communities in Victoria, and population growth across the Mitchell Shire is placing enormous pressure on roads that were never designed to carry today's traffic volumes. Residents, businesses, freight operators and visitors are all experiencing increased congestion, delays and safety concerns.

Heavy vehicles are continuing to travel through the centre of Kilmore, creating safety risks for pedestrians, shoppers and local businesses. Local roads are carrying not only local traffic but also growing commuter and freight movements, and congestion reduces productivity, worsens amenity and undermines the liveability of the town, and the Kilmore Structure Plan identifies Highgate Road as a key strategic road project needed to support the town's continued growth, and, without appropriate link roads, traffic from new estates is forced to add to the congestion to get to the commercial precinct, and the Mitchell Shire Council has already allocated funding for planning and design works for a future road connection between Kings Lane and John Street, and the link roads are a critical first step for Kilmore, but it needs government attention.

The Mitchell Shire Council has identified the Kilmore-Wallan Bypass as one of the highest advocacy priorities, but the project has been languishing for years. The bypass is essential to improve safety, reduce congestion and return the historic town centre to local residents and businesses. The bypass would remove significant volumes of heavy traffic from Sydney Street and the town centre. The historic buildings, part of Kilmore's enduring charm, were built for horse and cart not the heavy transport now rumbling through the town. Better roads support local businesses by improving access to shops, services and industrial areas. The improved freight routes strengthen regional supply chains and help local producers get goods to markets efficiently, and safer roads mean fewer accidents and a better quality of life for local residents.

Kilmore cannot continue to grow with yesterday's road network. The community needs a coordinated package of infrastructure investment that includes important link roads and the Kilmore Bypass. Honestly, it has been ignored by too many governments for too long. State and federal governments need to focus on Kilmore, focus on the population growth, look at the infrastructure that needs to be developed and built, and get on with the job.