General News
5 February, 2026
Data shows spike in potholes reported
NEW data has shown south west Victorians are increasing their pothole reporting more than anywhere across the state, which one MP says is due to the dangerous conditions across the region’s road network.
Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell who is also the Shadow Assistant Minister for Roads and Road Safety, is fed up.
Deteriorating roads and a surge in potholes are putting motorists, families and businesses in danger while the government continues to fail to meet targets.
She cited data from ‘Snap Send Solve’ which notes the south west recorded a 178.1 per cent increase in pothole reports, which represented the largest rise across Victoria.
“People are dodging craters just to get to work or take their kids to school,” Ms Britnell said.
“It’s dangerous and frightening.
“The situation has become so dire that some residents have labelled Warrnambool as the pothole capital of Australia.”
Ms Britnell said new analysis showed regional road maintenance was being scaled back, with the 2025–26 target for works in regional Victoria reduced to just 2.7 million square metres – a 13 per cent drop on the previous year.
“Road conditions in the south west are reaching crisis point. We need to scale up, not back,” she said.
“In regional Victoria, just 566,000 square metres were patched, well short of the 1,003,000 square metre target.
“These aren’t just numbers on a page.
“They’re blown tyres, cracked rims, damaged suspensions and serious safety risks for drivers, cyclists and motorcyclists.”
Ms Britnell said the annual report showed road maintenance costs still ran $12.1 million over budget despite missing several maintenance targets, which raised serious questions for locals about efficiency, planning, and priorities.
When she, as the deputy chair of the Public Accounts and Estimated Committee, asked the Secretary of the Department whether he believed the roads were safe, he responded he was “absolutely satisfied that our roads are safe”.
“This shows how out of touch the Allan Labor government is to the reality experienced by communities every day,” Ms Britnell said.
“Resentment is growing, frustration is building and people feel ignored.
“The community is doing whatever they can to be heard but this tired and arrogant government isn’t listening.
“We just want safe roads – regional communities deserve the same standard of infrastructure as anywhere else.
“Our communities are resilient and generous, but there is only so far they can be pushed.”