Rural Councils Victoria is calling on the State and Federal Governments to work together to ensure rural and regional roads across the state are safe for passenger and freight vehicles.
The call comes following news reports that the Federal Government is considering massive cuts in its funding model for “nationally significant” roads.
The Federal Government wants to introduce a funding model for those road projects that is a 50:50 Federal/State contribution, down from 80 per cent paid by the federal government in recent years, leaving the cash strapped State to fill the gap.
Rural Councils Victoria Chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said:
“Rural Victorians shouldn’t pay the price for governments fighting.
“RCV calls on both state and Federal government to work together to find solutions to this problem.
“We don’t care how government works out the funding – we care about maintaining critical infrastructure that keeps our state moving.
“As it stands now there is not enough money coming from either state or federal government to adequately maintain roads and ensure they are fit for future growth.
“We want to ensure that the potential billions of dollars in cuts don’t have a flow-on effect for road maintenance across rural and regional Victoria.
“We all know that the State Government is facing massive budget pressures and the decision, if followed through, would only make those pressures more intense.
“Following floods and other climate events across the state in recent years, rural and regional roads are in a shocking condition.
“If the Federal funding model means that the State has to put more into particular road projects, we are concerned that those funds will come from essential maintenance and repairs in rural and regional areas.
“Lives and livelihoods are at stake here.
“TAC data shows that half of all lives lost on Victorian roads are on rural and regional roads, while only 24 per cent of the Victorian population lives outside the metropolitan area.
“Long distance travel is a part of life in rural communities, but it shouldn’t cost your life to live here.
“Despite our smaller population, more than half of all Victoria’s road fatalities occur in rural and regional areas, making regional people more than four times more likely to die on their roads than those living in capital cities.
“Unmaintained roads are dangerous roads, and the continued decline of road quality in rural Victoria is putting families at risk.
“Rural and regional Victoria produces a third of the state’s exports, and the regional road network is the link holding these economies together.
“When rural road links break down, so do rural businesses, adding thousands of dollars in fleet maintenance and overheads.
“Increasing investment in critical road links will allow producers to reduce unnecessary overheads, improve freight efficiency, and support the tens of thousands of export jobs rural Australians rely on.”