The Allan Labor Government continues to neglect regional roads.

The government's alarming failure has been exposed during the Parliamentary Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings.

Committee evidence revealed that the Department of Transport and Planning failed to meet its own maintenance targets last financial year, delivering barely half of the one million square metres of regional road patching it had promised.

This year, Labor has slashed the target even further to an embarrassing 70,000 square metres.

Labor continues to trot out their so-called ‘maintenance blitzes’, yet the evidence tells a very different story.

Regional roads are deteriorating faster than this government is willing, or able to fix them.

Across the Ovens Valley, locals are fed up with dodging potholes and driving on roads that are among the worst in Victoria.

Government data further shows more than 200,000 potholes were patched across the 23,000km state-owned road network in 2024/25.

That’s not success, that’s failure.

That’s a pothole roughly every 100 metres.

No one calls that progress...it’s a sign of a system that’s falling apart.

This endless patch-up approach instead of real repairs is proof of systemic neglect.

Tim McCurdy, Nationals' MP for Ovens Valley

Support available when facing cancer battle

It’s incredibly heartbreaking that about one in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.

And with about 250 people in Wangaratta diagnosed with the disease each year, chances are that most locals have been impacted by cancer – whether

directly or through the experiences of a loved one.

In support, Cancer Council Victoria provides a free and confidential information and support line (13 11 20) available to anyone affected by cancer who has a question or is

seeking trusted information and support.

As part of this service, experienced cancer nurses can refer callers to our phone-based counsellors for emotional support, financial counsellors, as well as our peer support

network to help them connect with others who have had a similar cancer experience.

Already this year, our team has responded to approximately 10,000 enquiries, highlighting the significant, ongoing demand for cancer support services, including from

those in regional and rural Victorian communities.

But we know this number could and should be bigger.

So often our team members will connect with someone who has gone through a cancer experience and they will tell us that they wish they had known about our support

services much earlier.

That’s why we’re urging Victorians to continue to utilise 13 11 20 and spread the word around the broader Wangaratta community about the support freely available.

Nobody should have to go through a cancer diagnosis alone – and that’s what makes a service like 13 11 20 so important.

Danielle Spence, Cancer Council Victoria head of strategy and support

My Aged Care needs an overhaul

The Inspector-General of Aged Care’s final report of its Review of My Aged Care has exposed significant flaws and inadequacies with the platform designed to be the single-entry point to the aged care system.

The review found that My Aged Care is onerously complex to navigate and not tailored to the needs of older people; it is poorly understood due to a lack of awareness; the delivery model is not fit-for-purpose; and there is a lack of equity for older people from diverse backgrounds or complex needs.

The findings are not surprising given what we consistently hear from older people, with My Aged Care in need of an overhaul.

It is failing too many older people, who are left unable to navigate and access the support they need, when they need it.

My Aged Care is meant to be the front door to the aged care system, but many older people are unable to find the front door or to step their way through it.

Aged care is very complex and older people deserve user friendly and easy to navigate pathways including in person access points.

Australia has an ageing population, and it is crucial that points of access to aged care cater to the needs of all older people, particularly those from diverse backgrounds and in remote locations.

Greater investment and commitment are needed to achieve an accessible system.

Craig Gear, CEO Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)