DETERIORATING roads are at the centre of a damning Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) report, with almost half of Victoria’s state-managed road network now rated in poor or very poor condition.
The report found the proportion of the state road network in poor or very poor condition had increased from 39 per cent in 2021 to 48 per cent in 2024.
Additionally, the number of defects recorded and defects repaired more than doubled between January 2025 and June 2026.
VAGO concluded that Victoria has a “growing road maintenance backlog”, with the network “deteriorating faster than the pace of repairs”.
The report also found current funding was insufficient to maintain or improve the condition of state roads.
The Loddon Mallee region recorded the highest proportion of state-managed roads rated poor or very poor, at 69 per cent, while the Hume region recorded the second-highest figure at 57 per cent.
The Loddon Mallee maintenance region includes Macedon Ranges, while Mitchell sits within the Hume maintenance region.
The figures apply to the wider maintenance regions and do not represent the condition of roads maintained by either Macedon Ranges Shire Council or Mitchell Shire Council.
Under the department’s measure, roads with between five and 15 years of remaining useful life are considered poor, while those with less than five years are considered very poor.
Transport Victoria’s maintenance program includes a number of roads across the local area, including Melbourne–Lancefield Road, parts of the Calder Freeway and roads around Romsey, Riddells Creek and Lancefield.
In Mitchell, works have included resurfacing and rehabilitation on sections of the Northern Highway and Epping–Kilmore Road.
Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said the findings confirmed what residents across northern Victoria already knew.
“Residents of Macedon Ranges Shire, Mitchell Shire, and City of Whittlesea will know from experience how bad the state roads are, and this report confirms that it’s because Labor has failed to properly fund road maintenance and has failed to ensure repairs are done to standard,” Ms Lovell said.
“Under Labor, the state’s worst roads are concentrated in northern Victoria, with Hume and Loddon Mallee regions having 57 per cent and 69 per cent of roads rated as in poor or very poor condition.”
Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland also blamed the findings on what she described as a decade of cuts by the State Government.
“We keep seeing potholes patched, only for the same roads to deteriorate again,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Patching a pothole is not the same as maintaining a road.
“The Labor Government cannot keep waiting until roads are falling apart before it acts. By then, the damage is worse, the repairs cost more and regional motorists have already spent years putting up with unsafe and uncomfortable roads.”
The audit found the Department of Transport and Planning had advised the State Government that current funding levels were insufficient to maintain or improve the network.
It said funding was increasingly being directed towards reactive and safety-critical repairs rather than planned maintenance.
VAGO also raised concerns about the quality of repairs, finding around one in eight routine maintenance works inspected between July 2024 and December 2025 were defective and required rework.
Around one in four inspected works were either assessed as non-compliant or did not have enough evidence available for a full assessment.
Member for northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell said motorists shouldn’t have to accept subpar repairs.
“The state can’t just keep throwing hot mix into potholes and calling it a day. The underlying
causes of the failing road system need to be thoroughly investigated and fixed to the highest
standard.
“Our regional motorists should not have to accept subpar repairs and a continuously failing
road network. My message to the Minister is simple – fix the roads and fix them right.” She said.
The government has defended its response to the report, saying it accepts all of VAGO’s recommendations.
A government spokesperson said: “We agree that our roads aren’t good enough, and we are accepting every recommendation.”
“VAGO says the system isn’t working and needs more oversight – that’s exactly why we will develop a plan to bring contracted road maintenance back in house.”
“We are also doubling the number of potholes we are fixing right now, to make an immediate difference.”
The report noted an additional $352 million in road asset management funding was announced on August 30, taking total 2026–27 road asset management funding to approximately $1.39 billion.
That funding announcement was made after the audit was completed and was not assessed as part of VAGO’s findings.
The report’s condition figures are based on surveys conducted in 2024, with updated survey results expected in October.
