The Victorian Government has been sitting on $10 million of Federal funding to fix the Mallacoota-Genoa Road – for four years.
Gippsland East Nationals’ MP, Tim Bull, said the allocation was secured by his Federal colleague, Darren Chester, way back in 2021 after the bushfires the year prior and handed to the State.
“All we have seen to date is around half a million spent on ‘studies’. For goodness sake, get on with the job and fix the road,” he said.
“Concerns have been raised by local CFA groups who have included Mallacoota-Genoa Road in a list they say is in such poor condition, it is impacting on response times.
“The Mallacoota and District Recovery Committee (MADRA) has also flagged its concerns, listing it as a bushfire recovery priority five years ago.
“No-one can answer where the money has gone,” Mr Bull said, who used the last sitting week of State Parliament to pressure the Government to start work as soon as possible.
“We will soon be approaching another summer and tourist season, and we need to have this work well and truly completed before then. That means it needs to commence in the next two months.
“If this money was allocated to a metropolitan road, it would have been done long ago.
“Labor has not only
continually cut roads funding in its own budget, but it cannot get organised enough to utilise the funds provided to it from the Federal Government.
“They simply cannot manage money, and our road users pay the price.”
