New figures have confirmed the Allan Government cut funding for key road safety and infrastructure initiatives across the same period Victoria suffered the worst road toll in 15 years.
The latest Transport Accident Commission (TAC) annual report confirms payments for trauma projects and safer road infrastructure initiatives was more than halved from almost $112 million in 2022 to just $54.4 million in 2023.
Across 2023, a tragic 299 people lost their lives on Victoria’s roads, a 24.1 per cent increase from the year prior with a further 18,000 people injured in vehicle collisions.
These cuts to key road safety programs come as the Allan Government accelerates its plan to rip $3 billion from the TAC coffers over coming years, with $1 billion to be taken out this financial year – $400 million greater than what was previously budgeted.
Shadow Minister for WorkCover and the TAC, Cindy McLeish, said: “Road safety has become another victim of Labor’s financial mismanagement.
“Victoria cannot afford to see a repeat of the tragic 15-year high road toll of last year but instead of investing to help keep Victorians safe, Labor is doing the exact opposite.
“The condition of Victoria’s roads, particularly in regional and outer-suburban Melbourne communities, is appalling and is contributing to the tragic outcomes we are seeing and there is simply no excuse for these cuts.”
Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Danny O’Brien, said the figures confirmed cuts revealed during Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings in November.
“Over two years Labor cut $150 million from the Safer System Road Infrastructure Program and made further cuts to marketing and road safety projects.
“This at a time when Victorians are experiencing the tragedy of a growing road toll. Labor can’t manage money, it can’t manage projects and its cuts are detrimental to safety on our roads.”
