Roads to ruin: gap widens between deterioration and repair

A major new report by the Victorian Auditor General's Office (VAGO) into Victoria's state road network has found more than half of the roads in the Hume region are in very poor or poor condition. The report released this month said Victorian roads were deteriorating faster than they could be repaired, with 47.98 per cent of Hume region roads rated very poor, and 9.42 per cent rated poor, despite significant state government increases in maintenance spending over recent years. The proportion of roads rated poor or very poor across Victoria has increased from 39 per cent in 2021 to 48 per cent today. The audit found the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) was struggling to keep pace with the rate of deterioration, with defects appearing faster than repairs could be completed. Victoria’s Auditor General Andrew Greaves concluded that while maintenance expenditure had increased substantially, the overall condition of the state’s road network continued to decline. The report revealed the DTP's 2026–27 road maintenance business case, informing the state budget process, estimated it would cost more than $3 billion per year to maintain road pavement condition at existing levels while replacing age-expired assets. But recognising fiscal constraints, the department sought a ‘minimal’ level of funding required to: • commence replacing at-risk structures (such as bridges) • increase the number of road maintenance defects rectified • slow the deterioration of the road network. Over the period from 2026–27 to 2029–30, the department's business case sought gross additional funding of $2.11 billion in output funding and $979.4 million in asset funding. This included the release of approximately $825.2 million held in contingency. DTP’s annual maintenance expenditure increased from $511 million in 2020-21 to $757 million in 2023-24. Despite this, the report found a growing backlog of road rehabilitation work and warned that more than one-third of the state’s roads now have fewer than five years of remaining useful life. The report also found the department had repeatedly advised government that funding levels were insufficient to maintain and improve road conditions across Victoria. Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) president Ryan Milgate said the VAGO findings reflected what regional Victorians experienced daily. “Nine in 10 farmers don’t believe the Victorian government understands regional issues or has a positive plan to grow the industry,” Mr Milgate said. “The biggest concern from farmers and regional Victorians is the absolute shocking state of our country roads.” Nationals MP for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy said the damning report findings confirm what local motorists see every day, “potholes, cracking, rough surfaces and roads that are becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous to drive on”. “These are the roads people use to get to work, take their kids to school, visit the doctor and move produce, livestock and goods right across our region,” he said. “Patching potholes after roads have already deteriorated is not a long-term solution. “We need proper preventative maintenance so roads are fixed before they reach crisis point.” Mr McCurdy said the Liberals and Nationals have committed $5 billion to fix Victoria’s roads over four years, and will re-establish the Country Roads and Bridges Program which will deliver $1.5m annually, for four years, to each of the 48 councils in regional Victoria, including the Rural City of Wangaratta. One Nation MP for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, who has been a strong advocate for improved regional roads, said the VAGO report’s findings "vindicated" her long-held concerns and she remain committed to seeing the roads fixed to the highest standard. Despite this, One Nation is yet to release a road policy or provide any detail of funding, indicating it is not making funding commitments while the full extent of the state's financial position is not known. Government agrees: ‘Not good enough’ Responding to North East Media enquiries, a state government spokesperson agreed the state’s roads were “not good enough”. “We are accepting every (report) recommendation,” the spokesperson said. “VAGO says the system isn’t working and needs more oversight - that’s exactly why we will develop a plan to bring contracted road maintenance back in house.” The spokesperson also said the DTP was doubling the number of potholes currently being fixed to make an “immediate difference”. The government said it had recently invested an additional $352 million towards road maintenance, resulting in a record $1.4 billion being spent on repairs and rebuilds in the 2026-27 financial year, with 70 per cent of the funds going to regional Victoria. The government also said, if re-elected, it would work alongside experts and local workforces to take the role of repairing roads out of the hands of third party contractors, and that each region would have more say in prioritising repairs.

Roads to ruin: gap widens between deterioration and repair

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