Community concerns over road conditions in Victoria can now be tracked against a large dataset published by the state's auditor.
Criticism of the Labor government over road maintenance failures, including on Victorian highways, has ramped up ahead of the November state election.
The VAGO report found that the proportion of state-managed roads in poor or poor condition had increased from 39 to 48 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
The data released last week by the auditor shows that the number of unresolved potholes has increased across the state.
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Summarized version
The VAGO report found that the proportion of state-managed roads in poor or poor condition had increased from 39 to 48 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
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The article, shortened and in plain language
Community concerns over road conditions in Victoria can now be tracked against a large dataset published by the state's auditor.
Thousands of reported potholes were yet to be fixed in June, the data said, with problem areas identified in the state's north, south-west and Melbourne's outer suburbs.
While the government has promised to fix half a million potholes this financial year, some argue new strategies are needed to help manage the state's aging road network.
Criticism of the Labor government over road maintenance failures, including on Victorian highways, has ramped up ahead of the November state election.
Before confidential government data about Victorian roads has comprehensively revealed the extent of deterioration and potholes across the state.
The ABC analysed data from last week's report from the Victorian Auditor General's Office on the maintenance of Victoria's state roads.
The VAGO report found that the proportion of state-managed roads in poor or poor condition had increased from 39 to 48 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
Audit data shows that in 2024 there were 30 Victorian councils where at least half of state-managed roads were in a poor or poor condition.
The data released last week by the auditor shows that the number of unresolved potholes has increased across the state.
In the Pyrenees council area of the Western Highway near Trawalla where the crash occurred, 1,055 pothole defects were identified between July 2024 and June 2026, but 100 per cent of them were fixed — at odds with local reports on the road condition in that area.
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