MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper has put pressure on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in State Parliament to change the way road funding is allocated after several roads in the electorate – including the infamous Robinvale-Sea Lake Road – continue to get overlooked for upgrades.
Ms Cupper questioned the Premier on criteria for road funding on Wednesday, saying the Sunraysia, Mallee and Henty highways were among the state’s worst roads.
“As a result of funding criteria set by the government, our roads keep missing out because, apparently, there are not enough people using them,” Ms Cupper said during question time.
“This criteria does not take into account other important factors, including safety, the value of these roads to our economy or how dilapidated they are.”
“My question is, can the Premier change the way road maintenance and upgrades are prioritised so that the roads in my electorate have a fighting chance of getting fixed?”
Mr Andrews said that while he agreed the roads mentioned were of significant concern, his government had committed a “record spend” on Victorian roads this year.
“There was the best part of $900 million worth of road maintenance and road building funding in this year’s budget, admittedly some in regional Victoria and some in the suburbs of Melbourne,” he said.
Ms Cupper continued to press the topic with the Premier, describing repairs to the Robinvale-Sea Lake road as “piecemeal” and requesting further funding.
“Even after these repairs, the road will not be capable of handling the 10,000 additional truck movements that will result from the stalled standardisation of the Murray Basin rail line,” Ms Cupper told parliament.
“Many of our roads need attention, but as a starting point will the Premier commit to funding the $30 million needed to rebuild the Robinvale-Sea Lake Road for the benefit of our community and the economy of the entire state?”
The Premier said that while he was not in the position to announce a $30 million allocation on Wednesday, he would continue to work with Ms Cupper on the issue.
