Rope barriers snap, $1bn snapped up

The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has raised serious concerns over the condition of roadside safety infrastructure across regional Victoria – slamming the Allan Labor Government for its failure to maintain wire rope barriers and other essential safety measures. Ms Cleeland last week put forward questions to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety about the state of roadside barriers, after repeated reports from locals across the Euroa electorate about damaged and neglected infrastructure. “I’ve had constituents let me know about wire rope barriers left lying on the ground of the Hume for months on end,” Ms Cleeland said. “These barriers are meant to protect motorists, yet they’ve been left to deteriorate – putting lives at risk.” With the number of lives lost on regional roads rising sharply this year, Ms Cleeland said the government needed to drastically rethink its priorities. “Nearly four people are dying on regional Victorian roads every week – this is a crisis that demands immediate action,” she said. “So far in 2025, we’ve seen an 11.9 per cent increase in the number of lives lost on our roads, with fatalities on regional roads up by a staggering 25 per cent. “Despite making up just 23 per cent of the population, regional Victorians are accounting for more than 60 per cent of road deaths.” Ms Cleeland said the state government had taken $1.13 billion from the TAC, which was more than three times what it originally promised, but continued to ignore the worsening state of Victoria’s roads. In a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing last week, Labor admitted it had taken the billion-dollar TAC dividend, despite budget papers indicating otherwise. When asked whether this money would be reinvested into road safety, the TAC simply said it was a decision for the government. “This government can’t manage money – and it’s costing lives on our crumbling roads,” Ms Cleeland said. “Labor has wiped out the TAC’s $1.04 billion surplus and is using money meant for road safety to cover its budget black holes.” Ms Cleeland said regional communities were being left behind by a city-centric government that continues to pour money into over-budget Melbourne mega-projects. “The Allan Labor Government is turning its back on regional Victoria,” Ms Cleeland said. “It’s time they take responsibility and stop ignoring the condition of our roads before more lives are lost.”