Council
17 July, 2026
Riordan commits to road pledge
MEMBER for Polwarth Richard Riordan has joined Liberals and Nationals’ leaders in their commitment to invest $5 billion to repair Victoria’s roads.
Mr Riordan joined Liberal leader Jess Wilson on a visit to Cobden on Sunday as part of her tour around regional Victoria, during which she announced the party’s policy to ensure 25 per cent of Victoria’s infrastructure spending – which includes roads – is delivered in regional areas.
He said the announcement would deliver much-needed relief for motorists across the south west, where deteriorating roads have become a daily frustration and a genuine safety hazard.
“Whether you’re travelling the Princes Highway, the Great Ocean Road, the Hamilton Highway or any number of local arterial roads across Polwarth, people are asking the same question – where are their road taxes actually going?” Mr Riordan said.
Other aspects of the plan, which are supported by Nationals leader and Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety Danny O’Brien, includes strengthening accountability for round maintenance standards and contractor performance, increasing roadside maintenance works and establishing Better Roads Victoria to restore specialist engineering expertise.
Mr Riordan said regional Victoria had been consistently short-changed under Labor despite carrying the state’s freight, agriculture and tourism industries and that the commitment complemented the Liberals and Nationals’ Fair Share Guarantee, which would ensure 25 per cent of Victoria’s infrastructure spending was invested in regional communities.
“A Fresh Start for Victoria starts with fixing the roads people rely on every single day,” he said.
“The people of Polwarth deserve roads that are safe, reliable and properly maintained, not endless excuses and temporary patch jobs.”
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