Overview
- The Coalition unveiled the $5 billion, four-year roads pledge on Monday to eliminate one million potholes and re-establish a planned preventative maintenance program.
- The proposal would create Better Roads Victoria inside the transport department and require reviews of construction standards and maintenance contracts to hold the department and contractors to account.
- The opposition says at least 25% of the new funding will be directed to regional Victoria to address what it calls an under‑share of infrastructure spending, while budget papers show Labor’s May budget set smaller regional patching targets despite a separate $1 billion maintenance package.
- Labor has criticised the pledge as politically timed and questioned whether the Coalition can deliver the extra funding, leaving a contest over whether the focus will be short‑term patching or longer‑lasting resurfacing.
- Motorists and tyre repairers have reported large repair bills and safety incidents from potholes, a reality the policy seeks to address and a potential voting issue in regional electorates ahead of the November election.