SPEAKING in Parliament last week, State Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, directed urgent attention to the concerning surge in road fatalities within the region, voicing her apprehensions to Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne.
“Regional Victoria is experiencing a significant rise in road accidents and fatalities, and I urge the Minister to address this as a matter of urgency,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
She emphasised the gravity of the situation by highlighting Victoria’s highest road toll in 15 years, with a significant proportion of these tragedies unfolding in regional areas.
Ms O’Keeffe underscored the detrimental impact of the State Government’s decision to slash $230M from road safety programs. Notably, this reduction encompasses a $150M cut in the TAC-funded safer system roads and infrastructure program, coupled with an $81M shortfall in the TAC marketing and road safety budget over the last two financial years.
Further exacerbating the issue, she pointed out a distressing 45 per cent decline in road maintenance funding since 2020, resulting in deteriorating road conditions that pose significant safety risks.
“We must do all we can to ensure the safety of our roads, and I urge the Minister to re-instate critical road maintenance and road safety program funding in the upcoming budget,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
Having recently participated in a roundtable discussion with Road Safe Goulburn Valley, Ms O’Keeffe echoed the shared concerns of the community regarding the alarming spike in road fatalities.
“It is clear that we are facing a road safety crisis on our roads. Immediate action is necessary to reserve this distressing trend,” she said.
“Our community deserves to know how the State Government plans to address these concerns and I’m eager to hear the Minister’s response regarding this matter, especially given its urgency.”
