General News
9 December, 2025
VicRoads gains at least five years more life
How long Maryborough's VicRoads agreement will last has been revealed after months of opposition.
The agreement that saved Maryborough’s VicRoads has been revealed to be five years long, with options for extension, ending months of opposition to make the number public.
Member for Ripon Martha Haylett recently shared the details of Central Goldfields Shire Council and VicRoads’ deal in parliament.
The reveal came after months of requests for clarity from the community and Maryborough District Advertiser to the organisations involved.
It’s understood these requests were all refused because the agreement was considered commercial in confidence — meaning the information was sensitive or the parties understood it would remain confidential.
Member for Western Victoria Joe McCracken previously said in parliament the Labor Government needed to explain the agreement’s specifics.
“Locals really need clarity around this because they want to know services will be there for the long term and it’s a risk that creates unease,” he said.
“The government owes Maryborough an explanation and it’s about time some simple plain-speaking honesty was delivered.”
The agreement was first made public by Central Goldfields Shire Council on October 31, on the final day of the arrangement that kept the agency open, following months of negotiations.
It promised a full suite of services would be retained, at no cost to the ratepayers, but would be regularly reviewed.
Questions asking how long the agreement was for, however, remained unanswered.
Despite this, The Maryborough District Advertiser understands the agreement was originally for three years with the opportunity for extension, but has since been renegotiated.
Local driving instructor David Hendrickson led the campaign against VicRoads’ closure.
It’s a campaign that didn’t stop when the agreement was announced.
“We are angry because it is not cemented in how long we have got VicRoads for,” he previously said.
He continued campaigning for the specifics of the deal to be released, and now that it has, said the timeline isn’t good enough.
“It’s given us some breathing space but it’s still not good enough,” he said.
“It’s got to be a permanent thing ... to me permanent is never to be adjusted again.”
The future of Maryborough’s VicRoads first came into doubt in April this year when Central Goldfields Shire Council was contacted regarding changes to VicRoads’ funding model.
Previously, council was reimbursed by VicRoads for all costs of operation, but plans to transition to the statewide transaction-based model meant they would see a significant reduction in income.
An interim financial arrangement was implemented while negotiations with VicRoads and the shire continued, running from July 1 to October 31, to find a sustainable future for the service.