Nationals slam Labor’s pothole promise

Mr Hosking said the announcement was little more than a recycled promise, mirroring commitments Labor governments have made repeatedly over the past 10 years without delivering lasting results.

He said a search of Labor’s media releases dating back to 2021 showed repeated announcements promising to address the state’s potholes.

“Media releases don’t fix potholes,” Mr Hosking said.

“I am pretty certain even the most forgiving user of the regional road network has finally had enough PR spin and empty promises.”

Mr Hosking said the condition of regional roads had deteriorated despite the repeated commitments.

“Our roads aren’t just ruined, they are bloody dangerous,” he said.

He challenged the government to demonstrate that the latest funding would translate into real, measurable improvements for regional Victorian communities — not just another media release.

“If Labor really has suddenly found hundreds of millions to fix our roads, when in the same breath it is claiming the Nationals’ share of $5 billion won’t get the job done, exactly what, where, how and when is it going to deliver?” he said.

Mr Hosking said the government needed to stop hiding behind press releases and instead publish a clear, transparent breakdown of exactly where the money would be spent and when road crews would actually hit the ground.

He also criticised what he described as Labor’s failure to address the broader road maintenance backlog.

“The answer is pretty simple, it won’t,” Mr Hosking said.

“It never has, it has never intended to, and clearly it has never given a damn about the wellbeing and safety of regional Victorians.”

Mr Hosking said regional communities had grown deeply frustrated after years of broken promises, left with no choice but to navigate crumbling, dangerous roads that successive Labor governments had failed to fix.

One Nation candidate Garner Smith declined to comment on the issue.