Latrobe Valley residents are set to benefit from a $288 million investment in a new Country Roads and Bridges campaign to repair, upgrade, and maintain regional roads and bridges under a Nationals and Liberals Government.
The commitment will see each of Victoria’s 48 rural and regional councils, including Latrobe City, receiving $1.5 million every year for four years in untied funding, commencing in the 2027-28 State Budget.
The commitment follows on from the Nationals and Liberals’ recent pledge to invest $5 billion to repair and rebuild Victoria’s roads, eliminate one million potholes and re-establish a proper, planned system of preventative road maintenance.
The Nationals’ Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, said the funding would make a real difference to communities across the Latrobe Valley.
“For too long Valley residents and workers have been putting up with crumbing, pothole-ridden roads and disintegrating bridges that pose significant dangers,” Mr Cameron said.
“The Nationals are committing to addressing these appalling road conditions to address years of neglect of Victoria’s regions.”
Mr Cameron said the Latrobe Valley community had waited long enough for the Labor Government to act.
“This program was abolished by Labor in 2015, but the Nationals and Liberals will restore it to give councils the funding certainty to plan and deliver local infrastructure works,” Mr Cameron said.
The program will allow local government to determine which road and bridge projects are the highest priority in their communities, rather than forcing councils to compete for limited funding through a State Government grants process.
Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Danny O’Brien, said the announcement was another example of the Nationals’ promise to provide a Fair Share for regional Victoria.
“Regional Victorians have had enough of driving around on neglected roads, and the Nationals will make it a priority to get our roads to an acceptable standard,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Under a Nationals and Liberals government, we will deliver a Fair Share for Regional Victorians and deliver safer roads and bridges to make life easier for regional Victorians and businesses that rely on our roads every day.
