Taking Responsibility for the Safety of Our Roads
A re-elected Carroll Labor Government will deliver a comprehensive plan to improve the quality of our roads.
Yesterday, Labor announced an extra $352 million to double the number of potholes removed this year.
But the challenge is not just about funding.
It’s also about taking responsibility for your safety and being transparent with your services.
For long-term change, government should take back control and responsibility from privatised arrangements.
And government should give you the ability to see what’s planned in your region and raise problems more easily.
This is Labor’s plan to fix the way we fix roads:
- Bring state road maintenance programs back in-house
The current system isn’t working well enough.
Someone needs to take responsibility. A Labor Government will.
If re-elected, Labor will develop a plan alongside experts and local workforces to put government back in charge of state road maintenance. - Take a photo and report it
See a dangerous pothole. Take a photo safely and report it. See who’s responsible and what they’re doing about it.
That’s how the system should work in the 21st century, and Labor will deliver it.
We will establish one simple website where you can report on road issues that need attention and see for yourself where we’re planning repairs and when. - Make everyone accountable – including government
We’ll deliver new, statewide standards for road quality and safety, to lift the bar everywhere.
Whoever is managing the road – state or council, private or public – will be obliged to meet them.
We will make it easier for Victorians to get compensation when road managers – including governments – fail to maintain our roads to these standards. - Use local knowledge
The best road maintenance decisions will be made by the people who drive on them most.
Labor will give our five road maintenance regions – Barwon South West, Loddon Mallee Hume, Gippsland, Inner Metro and Greater Metro – more power to prioritise local repairs.
This plan will not replace the role of local governments in managing local roads, however we welcome the opportunity to work closely and constructively with councils across the State. - Get minimum-security prisoners on the job
Supervised, minimum-security prisoners regularly perform outdoor manual labour jobs.
Helping fix the roads should be one of them.
Labor will work with Corrections Victoria on a pilot program to get supervised, minimum-security prisoners helping with basic roadside maintenance – like mowing lawns, controlling weeds, removing graffiti and picking up rubbish.
If they can safely contribute to roadside maintenance, then more skilled crews can get on and fix the potholes.
This will not replace paid jobs but it will supplement the workforce where there are skill and capacity shortages.
What else we’re doing
Labor is already acting with an extra $352 million to double the number of potholes we’ll fix this year.
Victorians know they can’t trust Liberals on roads. They cut funding from maintenance when they were in power.
Under the Liberal-One Nation Coalition’s $40 billion cuts plan, they’ll do it again.
Quotes attributable to Premier Ben Carroll
“This is a big change and it’s not just about money.”
“My new direction is all about taking responsibility for your safety and being transparent with your services.”
“In 2026, it should be easier to see what repairs are planned and raise road problems quickly.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Paul Hamer
“Labor is doubling pothole and road repair and will deliver a new set of rules for fixing them.”
“Liberals and One Nation won’t fix roads – they will just cut frontline services like they did last time.”
Media Contact:
Jennifer Aitken
0467 745 963
media@vic.alp.org.au
