Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:24): My constituency question is for the Treasurer. The roads in Western Victoria are appalling. A major trucking operator informed me that the cost of fleet maintenance in south-west Victoria is 20 per cent higher than elsewhere in Australia due to the rough and dangerous surfaces. As part of the Princes Highway Corridor Strategy, which the state government supposedly supports, the commonwealth have provided $60 million to upgrade the road between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. This stretch of road is used by 14 000 vehicles a day and is in urgent need of repair. The commonwealth requested a 20 per cent contribution from the state government in May 2019. The state government needs to meet its obligations as this is primarily a road of state responsibility, so I ask the Treasurer: will the state government commit to matching the federal government’s huge support for road projects in Western Victoria, especially this road, in the forthcoming state budget?