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For too long, maintaining regional Victoria’s crumbling roads has been an issue of “out of sight, out of mind” for the state’s incumbent Labor government.

That was the opinion of Nationals Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, after the death of a 71-year-old motorcyclist while riding along a stretch of the Western Highway, west of Ballarat.

Police said Peter “Tiki” Mason died after “emergency services responded to reports a motorcycle had struck a pothole and lost control”.

“It’s disappointing they (Carroll Government) basically said ‘beyond Melbourne and Pakenham, it’s out of sight and out of mind’,” McCurdy told The Daily Declaration.

Mason’s family did not want to take a political side after the tragic incident, saying he was a much-loved member of their family and a friend to many.

“His loss has left an enormous hole in our lives, and we are struggling to come to terms with a life taken far too soon,” the family said in a statement.

“We are aware of the public interest surrounding the circumstances of Peter’s death, including the condition of the road where the incident occurred.

“If, through the appropriate processes, changes are identified that could prevent another family from experiencing this devastation, we sincerely hope something positive can come from Peter’s death.

“However, these matters should be dealt with by the appropriate authorities.”

Premier vows to act, but is it too little, too late?

Premier Ben Carroll has promised to fix half a million potholes this financial year – double the number from last year.

Asked on 13 September if his government was responsible for Mason’s death, Carroll said he accepted “responsibility for making sure our roads are safe”.

Asked how many potholes had been filled, he received criticism for replying: “I’m the Premier, not the Roads Minister”.

Victoria is in the middle of a roads safety crisis, with potholes such as this found all over the state. Picture: Josh Spasaro.

Carroll was the Roads and Road Safety Minister from June 2020 until December 2022, with Paul Hamer currently holding that portfolio.

“I’ve directed the funding to get in there and do the maintenance. I’ve spoken to the Roads Minister,” he added.

“He tells me crews are out right now on the Western Highway, doing what they need to do. In terms of the exact number, we can try and give you those details.”

Coalition says it will invest $5 billion on roads if elected

With the Victorian election approaching on 28 November, the Liberal-Nationals Coalition has promised to invest $5 billion to repair and rebuild the state’s roads.

It also said it would patch one million potholes if it wins office.

“The problem is not just the north-east. It’s all of regional Victoria,” McCurdy said.

“We’ve obviously said we need to fix them, and we’ll (Coalition) invest $5 billion over the next four years.

“But also the new country roads and bridges program we’ve introduced again, which Labor cut out.

“That’ll put $60 million into the north-east LGAs (local government areas), so it’s not just the major roads, it’s the local roads.”

McCurdy said fixing regional Victoria’s roads was urgent, because residents outside of Melbourne needed their vehicles as their only way of getting to and from work, school or leisure activities.

“As I say to people, ‘We don’t have the luxury of being able to get on a 96 tram or electric train,” he said.

“We need our roads to get the kids to school, get to work or the other things we need to do.

“Roads are more than just one part or 25 per cent of your transport options, which they are in Melbourne.

“They’re 95 per cent of our transport options in regional Victoria. And the safety aspect – we’ve seen the amount of damage that’s getting done to cars.

“It’s not unfortunate, it’s just neglect.

“Roads is probably the issue that concerns us most at the moment, because it’s right there before your very eyes every day.”

McCurdy: ‘I’ve got no problem with prisoners fixing our roads’

The Carroll Government recently announced that prisoners in Victorian jails would work on road maintenance as part of Labor’s plan to fix the state’s roads.

Shadow Roads Minister Danny O’Brien said the move to use prisoners in road maintenance was “a distraction”.

“That’s no surprise, because the government’s handling of road maintenance has been absolutely criminal,” he said.

“We do already have prisoners involved in maintenance of public assets.

“This is desperate spin by a government on the eve of an election that knows it’s got a problem trying to hoodwink Victorians into thinking they’re actually doing something about it.”

McCurdy said he personally did not have an issue with prisoners working on state roads.

“I don’t see anything against the idea of using prisoners, because I don’t think they’re fixing the roads,” he said.

“I think they’re more slashing and mowing the sides of the roads because, again, everything has been neglected on the roads.

“Not just the road surfaces themselves. It’s also the roadsides and verges. I’ve got no problem with the prisoners.”

Stretch of road among state’s most dangerous

The pothole-ridden stretch of road that claimed the life of Mason was already considered among the 10 most dangerous roads in the state, according to a survey from RACV.

The RACV’s My Country Road 2026 report identified the Western Highway between Ballarat and Trawalla as the eighth most dangerous road in the state.

Respondents to RACV’s survey had cited road-surface condition and speed management as key concerns, with deteriorating roads remaining the number-one concern for regional Victorians.

O’Brien said the tragedy had been compounded by the fact that the road was a well-known hazardous stretch after years of neglect.

“This was not only a preventable tragedy, but it was sadly predicted by many,” he said.

“Mr Mason’s family and the whole motorcycling community are grieving this week, and they deserve to believe that when a stretch of road is identified as dangerous, it is immediately addressed.

“Ben Carroll’s response to this tragedy is that he is not the Minister for Roads. That is not just unacceptable, but it is also misleading. He was the Minister for Roads for three years as they fell into disrepair, and the only thing that changed was his ascent to Premier.”

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Image courtesy of Victoria Nationals: Nationals Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, has said for too long, the Labor Government has neglected the poor conditions of its roads.