Damning road audit exposes Labor’s neglect of Mildura electorate

More than two thirds of roads across the Loddon Mallee are in poor or very poor condition, confirming what drivers across the Mildura electorate already know: Victoria's roads are being allowed to fall apart.

A Victorian Auditor-General's Office report has found 69 per cent of roads in the Loddon Mallee are rated poor or very poor, the highest proportion of any region in Victoria.

The Nationals Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, said the findings were a damning confirmation of what regional Victorians have been saying for years.

"Anyone who drives the Calder Highway or the Sunraysia Highway does not need an Auditor-General's report to tell them our roads are in a shocking state.

"That is what happens when you neglect roads for more than a decade.

"These are the roads our families use to get to work, our kids use to get to school and our farmers and freight operators rely on to move produce to market.

"This is not just about potholes. It is about a road network that has been allowed to deteriorate because Labor has failed to properly maintain it."

The report also found that statewide, 48 per cent of roads were in poor or very poor condition in 2024, up from 39 per cent in 2021. The Department of Transport and Planning has also advised the Government that current funding is insufficient to maintain or improve the condition of the state road network.

Ms Benham said regional Victorians could not afford another four years of reactive road maintenance.

"Patching a pothole is not a road maintenance strategy.