A NEW social media campaign will urge Moyne residents to bombard the state government with requests for funding as wind farm projects have left the shire's road repair costs at $50-60 million.
The council has developed the Moyne Shire Road Advocacy Plan encouraging the community to send Premier Ted Baillieu photos of damaged Moyne Shire roads using Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS.
Images of roads in disrepair will also be printed on postcards and distributed to the community for submission to the Premier, while campaign signage will be installed along the Port Fairy-Hamilton road and on truck curtains to raise awareness.
It has not been stated when the social media campaign will begin, but it is expected to run for a month. Cr Ken Gale said the advocacy plan would highlight roads as the council's number one priority.
"In part we've been reactive and not proactive in our way of doing something about it," he said.
"We need to be proactive.
"This should be an interesting campaign."
The Great South Coast has also recently collated data demonstrating a massive reduction in road funding to the south-west since 2007 and intends to present the research to Minister for Transport Terry Mulder, member for South West Coast Denis Napthine and VicRoads.
The group hopes to seek an assurance the region will be prioritised in future budgets.
Roads To Ruin safety campaign director Jodi Fry commended the council for taking effective measures by urging the community to get involved in lobbying the state.
"They also need to get written information on all the near misses happening on those roads," Mrs Fry said.
"All the pressure on the Premier to act on the state of our roads is going to be good.
"Moyne Shire Council have openly admitted they underestimated the amount of damage would happen to these roads from wind tower work, and VicRoads is now undergoing retrospective work in financing maintenance to the roads."
Cr Colin Ryan said the estimated $50-60 million cost of the shire's arterial road repairs had been hurt by AGL Energy's Macarthur Wind Farm.
"We're not getting the government support that should be coming our way," he said.
"The wind farm gave an undertaking to repair Macarthur-Hawkesdale Road, and bring it back to its original standard, but they're showing they're not the good corporate citizens everyone thinks they are.
"We've paid consultants and engineers to do an assessment of the road and found it is not up to the required standard.
"A permit was issued by the government so it's up to them to ensure the permit is complied with and AGL have done the work.
"It's Moyne Shire's strong belief AGL have reneged on their agreement."
Council officers proposed the strategy could be further developed to complement the Great South Coast's similar plan.
j.pech@standard.fairfax.com.au