Hosking guarantees $6 million across four years for dedicated shire roadworks

He says the commitment will see the traditional Country Roads and Bridges Program restored, with each of Victoria’s 48 rural and regional councils receiving $1.5 million every year for four years in untied funding, starting in the 2027-28 state budget.

“The program will provide councils with funding certainty and allow local government to determine which road and bridge projects are the highest priority in their communities, rather than forcing councils to compete for limited funding through a state government grants process,” Mr Hosking said.

“Recipient councils will be required to publicly identify projects funded under the program and acquit expenditure.

“Having travelled across most of the Murray Plains electorate, and as a fifth-generation farmer running a family business in Murray Plains, I have seen firsthand the urgent need for more investment in local roads and bridges.

“The previous Coalition government’s Country Roads and Bridges Program gave councils the funding certainty to plan and deliver works on the roads and bridges their communities rely on.

“Labor abolished this important program in 2015 and has refused to restore it, despite a clear recommendation from the parliamentary Inquiry into Local Government Funding and Services.

“The Nationals will help councils get the basics right across rural and regional Victoria.”

Mr Hosking says the announcement adds to the Nationals’ comprehensive plan to guarantee 25 per cent of infrastructure spending in regional communities and deliver $5 billion in roads maintenance across Victoria.

He says while the state remains responsible for the region’s main arterial roads, councils are responsible for local roads and bridges and allocate a significant proportion of their budget to this work.

“This $288 million investment will ease pressure on rates, free up council budgets and deliver safer roads and bridges,” Mr Hosking said.