Our region is known as one of the best freshwater angling destinations in Australia.

Rainfall over recent months has restored most of our lakes to full or near full capacity.

The timing is now right to restock these lakes with fish to re-establish our reputation as a leading recreation and tourism destination. An excellent example is Lake Wallace in Edenhope, which is filling for the first time in many years.

Restocking Lake Wallace will allow local residents to enjoy recreational fishing, while also attracting significant tourism back to our region with the many benefits that this brings to the broader community.

It is great that we now have significant water for recreation right across our region.

The Andrews government needs to act now to ensure we capitalise on the benefits this can bring to our communities.

EMMA KEALY 

Member for Lowan

REGIONAL Victoria has been snubbed again as Infrastructure Victoria announced 92 per cent of its recommendations were focused on Melbourne.

The state government introduced the independent body to remove short-term politics from infrastructure planning, but just 11 of 134 recommendations targeting regional Victoria is simply short-sighted.

This follows Dan Andrews’ city-centric approach, which has also seen $34 billion allocated for transport infrastructure in Melbourne, while regional Victoria receives just $3 billion.

Even the state government’s citizens’ juries say the infrastructure plan is dominated by a ‘Melbourne-centric approach’, but Dan Andrews is blind to his own bias.

If Victoria truly wants a successful population policy, liveable cities, jobs and a good quality of life for regional residents, our government must think broader than the Melbourne city boundary and start committing to transport and infrastructure investments that move people and products efficiently and competitively across the state.

Having just returned from an international tour of cities across the world, Victoria appears like a third world country compared to our global partners in infrastructure growth. The nonexistence of fast trains linking our cities and towns is a disgrace, as is the unmet basic need for a wifi service on our trains. The absence of an efficient rail link to our major airports resembles a third world lack of investment.

The lack of freeways that move people and products through and around our major capital city is congestion madness.

Inefficient slow and congested arterials roads into our regional areas make Victoria a state on the slide, not on the move.

The challenge for us is to prepare regional Victoria for a population shift with important timely infrastructure that will also preserve the important food production economy that is the lifeblood of human need and quality of life.

The Andrews government has not signalled that commitment to regional Victoria and Infrastructure Victoria’s long-term vision for the state has bypassed the needs and aspirations of a regional Victoria that stands ready to embrace a modern world with critical infrastructure, but sadly has been dealt a hand only suited to a third world country. Victoria needs a statewide population plan and we need a statewide infrastructure plan that recognises the needs of our regional communities.

SIMON RAMSAY

Member for Western Victoria

VICROADS maintenance crews are working hard to repair damaged roads across Victoria after prolonged, constant rain, damaging winds and floodwaters.

The immediate focus is on temporary repairs on key freeways, highways and major roads that have high traffic volumes.

In some parts of the state, it is still too early to fully and accurately measure the impact of flooding. But we’re working closely with local councils to assess the full impact of damage in heavily-affected areas. 

Safety is the number one priority and roads will not be reopened until it is safe to do so. Floodwater can damage the structure of the road or bridges, which may look fine but may not be safe. If a road is closed it’s for a reason - don’t risk it.  

One of the biggest challenges maintenance crews face is repairing potholes caused by water seeping into cracks in roads, which then spreads underneath and weakens the road’s surface.

We’re dealing with many potholes, and our maintenance crews are working around the clock to address and repair as many defects as possible to ensure safety across the region for all road users. 

The more the weight and volume of cars and trucks that pass over weak spots, the more a road’s surface begins to break up.

Depending on the location and traffic types, a small crack in a road can turn into a hazardous pothole in a matter of a few hours. Despite the poor weather conditions, VicRoads patrols and inspectors are continuously out on the road assessing the network, identifying and reporting hazards. 

As a safety measure, we often carry out temporary pothole repairs and patching until we can come back with more permanent repairs. These works mean that in many locations the speed limit has been reduced to allow the works to be done as safely and quickly as possible. Please be patient with us and when the weather gets drier for longer, our crews will be out there undertaking more permanent repairs.

EWEN NEVETT

VicRoads Regional Director