General News
17 July, 2026
Nationals pledge road fix
The Liberal and National government have pledged $5 billion towards the repair of regional roads if elected in November.
The plan was announced earlier this week by Nationals leader and shadow minister for roads and road safety Danny O’Brien along with opposition leader Jess Wilson to invest $5 billion, citing damaged sections of road throughout the state.
Nationals candidate for Ripon Jo Armstrong said this will drastically improve road construction standards and deliver relief for local drivers sick of dodging potholes on country roads.
“For over 10 years, the Burrum-beet to Beaufort section of the Western Highway has been proof of a job only half-done, patched up after every bit of rain, only to crumble again within weeks,” she said.
“It’s the same story on the Sunraysia Highway near St Arnaud and the Pyrenees Highway into Maryborough. These aren’t new problems; they’re years of band-aid fixes catching up with us.
“The Western Highway is Australia’s second-busiest road, the sub-standard build and maintenance of this crucial highway impacts the movement of freight and tourism as well as the safety of people travelling for work, healthcare, school, and connecting with family and friends.
“If elected in November, The Nationals will stop the waste and end the corruption so we can build better and safer regional roads.”
The fund will also re-establish Better Roads Victoria as a standalone agency. Both parties announced a full audit of the state’s roads will be conducted within six months of the Nationals taking office, using i-PAVE assessment technology to set an evidence-based program of works.
Ms Armstrong said the announcement was part of The Nationals’ broader commitment to regional Victoria through the Fair Share Guarantee, which will direct 25 percent of the state’s infrastructure spending to the regions.
“People should have confidence their hard-earned taxes are reinvested into a safe, well-maintained regional road network across Ripon and I will fight to make sure this region finally gets its fair share, so our roads are fixed properly and stay fixed,” she said.
If elected to hold government, the Liberal and Nationals parties said roads will be fixed once and fixed properly, with contractors held accountable for the quality of their work and speed limits restored once works are complete.