Council & Politics
20 September, 2026
Audit validates years of road complaints
YEARS of complaints about deteriorating state roads across Northern Grampians have been validated by the Victorian Auditor-General, according to mayor Karen Hyslop. Cr Hyslop said residents, businesses and road users had been raising concerns about potholes, pavement failures, ride quality and road safety for several years.
“For many people in our community, the condition of state-managed roads has become one of the most discussed issues affecting day-to-day life,” she said.
“Whether you are commuting to work, transporting grain, travelling to a medical appointment or visiting family, people expect major arterial roads to be safe and reliable.”
The Auditor-General’s Maintaining State Roads report found the overall condition of Victoria’s state roads was deteriorating, with the maintenance backlog growing as roads deteriorated faster than the pace of repairs.
The department’s 2024 road condition survey data shows some particularly poor results in Northern Grampians.
On the Donald–Stawell Road, 57.8km of the 73.2km surveyed was rated poor or very poor for remaining useful life, including 48.6km rated very poor.
On the Western Highway through Northern Grampians, 23.3km of the 45.9km surveyed was rated very poor.
A very poor rating means a road has less than five years of remaining useful life, with department standards saying roads in that category should be rehabilitated within one to two years to avoid access restrictions, subject to other condition measures at the same location.
Cr Hyslop said the findings were consistent with concerns regularly raised with councillors.
“The VAGO report identifies a deterioration in road condition and an increasing maintenance backlog across sections of the state road network,” she said.
“Those findings are consistent with the concerns regularly raised with councillors about potholes, pavement failures, ride quality and road safety.”
Cr Hyslop said the consequences were particularly significant in regional communities because residents and businesses did not have the same transport alternatives available in metropolitan Melbourne.
“When roads deteriorate, the consequences are felt throughout the community,” she said.
“Transport operators experience increased uncertainty, businesses face higher costs, tourists may choose alternative destinations and everyday drivers lose confidence in the network.”
She said the road network was fundamental to both the regional economy and access to essential services.
“Regional communities should be able to rely on major transport routes to get children to school, patients to medical appointments, tourists to regional destinations and freight to market,” she said.
“Businesses should be able to move goods efficiently and safely. Emergency services should be able to access communities when they are needed most.
“These roads are the backbone of regional Victoria’s economy and liveability.”
Council said it had received concerns about the Western and Sunraysia highways and Charlton–St Arnaud Road, as well as other arterial routes raised directly with councillors.
It has advocated for improvements through the Western Highway Action Committee, Sunraysia Highway Improvements Committee and Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Transport Group, as well as directly with the Department of Transport and Planning, MPs and ministers.
The recently released Western Highway Action Committee Vision and Priorities document calls for a stronger long-term maintenance approach aimed at improving pavement condition, drainage and network reliability.
Cr Hyslop said council was not in a position to nominate a specific funding figure, but wanted sustained investment that delivered measurable improvements in road condition, reliability and safety.
“From our perspective, the discussion should not simply be about the amount of money invested,” she said.
“It should be about outcomes.”
“What people want to see is confidence that there is a clear long-term plan to arrest the decline, improve reliability and ensure regional Victoria has a road network that is fit for the demands being placed upon it.”
Read More: Stawell