UPDATE: More than 4,400 people have now signed this petition. Thank you. But despite major new funding announcements, we are still waiting to see the coordinated plan for how Victoria's deteriorating roads will actually be made safe.

This petition began after repeated experiences with dangerous and badly deteriorated roads across regional Victoria.

Since then, the issue has become much bigger.

The Victorian Auditor-General has reported that 48% of Victoria's state roads were in poor or very poor condition in 2024, up from 39% in 2021.

This is not simply about potholes or damaged vehicles.

It is about road safety.

A motorcyclist, Peter Mason, died after striking a pothole on the Western Highway near Trawalla. Whatever the ultimate findings regarding responsibility for that tragedy, it is a devastating reminder of the consequences deteriorated road surfaces can have — particularly for motorcyclists.

The money is being announced. Where is the recovery plan?
On 30 August, Premier Ben Carroll acknowledged that the condition of Victoria's roads was “not good enough” and announced an additional $352 million for road maintenance.

The Government said that funding would “flow immediately” and announced a target of doubling pothole repairs from 250,000 to 500,000.

The Federal Government is also providing substantial road funding.

Hepburn Shire alone has been allocated approximately $8.526 million through the Federal Roads to Recovery program for 2024–29.

There are other Federal, State and local road programs and funding streams.

But after weeks of correspondence with government ministers, MPs, departments and councils, the same fundamental questions remain extraordinarily difficult to answer:

Which roads are being fixed?

Which are the highest priorities?

How are those priorities determined?

What work is being undertaken now?

What happens next?

When will it happen?

What standards must repairs meet?

And who is accountable for delivery?

We have now been advised by the office of our local State MP that the Victorian Government “will develop a plan alongside experts and local workforces” and intends to establish a website showing where repairs are planned and when.

Both initiatives are welcome.

But they also raise an obvious question.

If hundreds of millions of dollars have already been announced and the additional Victorian funding was to “flow immediately”, what plan is currently determining how that money is being prioritised and spent?

This needs to be treated with urgency
Bad weather is repeatedly cited as a reason road repairs are difficult.

Of course weather affects roads and some permanent repair techniques require suitable conditions.

But rain and changing seasons are not unexpected events.

Weather cannot become an explanation for accepting dangerous roads, nor does it remove the need to make immediate hazards safe.

If authorities received warning of a major weather event presenting an immediate threat to public safety, governments, councils, departments and emergency agencies would coordinate their response.

The deteriorating condition of our roads deserves comparable urgency.

What this petition is now asking for
We are calling on the Victorian Government to lead an urgent, coordinated road-recovery response, working with the Commonwealth, councils, shires and responsible road authorities.

We want the responsible decision-makers brought together to:

identify roads presenting the greatest immediate safety risks;
establish immediate make-safe works;
publish clear criteria for prioritising repairs;
identify which authority is responsible for each project;
coordinate available Federal, State and local funding;
establish repair and rehabilitation timelines;
set measurable standards for the quality and durability of repairs; and
publish progress so Victorians can see what has been completed, what is underway and what comes next.
This isn't about political point-scoring.

It is about safety, coordination, transparency and accountability.

Victorians don't experience Federal roads, State roads and council roads when they're behind the wheel or riding a motorcycle.

We experience one interconnected road network.

More than 4,250 people have already added their voices.

Please sign and share this petition.

If there is a road recovery plan, show us.

If there isn't, bring the decision-makers together urgently and create one.

The money is being announced.

Now we need the plan — and we need action.