South-west leaders are hitting back at a $44-million state government funding announcement they say doesn’t come close to fixing the region’s roads.

Great South Coast Group chair Colin Ryan said the annual maintenance allowance fell well short of what the organisation had been lobbying for.

“We have advocated for $200 million over four years to bring the standard of our Great South Coast roads up to state standard,” he said.

“VicRoads’ own records confirm that our roads are the worst in the state and that’s the minimum required to bring them up to standard.”

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan was in the region on Thursday to announce the maintenance and reconstruction funding, which he described as a big boost to spending in the south-west compared to previous years.

However, Cr Ryan said the money was about the same as the region’s annual allocation and would only help patch over the worst areas rather than lead to long-term improvements.

“Our roads are falling apart,” he said.

Glenelg Shire chief executive officer Greg Burgoyne said the funding was a step in the right direction, but would not fix the region’s roads.

Mr Burgoyne said Glenelg would now continue to lobby for funding to fix key freight routes surrounding the Port of Portland. 

The Green Triangle Freight Action Plan Update, which the minister launched on Wednesday, states that at least $180 million is needed over the next decade for the freight routes.

“We made it very clear to the minister that this is critical for our shire and filling pot holes is not going to fix the problem,” Mr Burgoyne said. “He is well aware that if we don’t get serious investment soon local jobs will be placed in jeopardy.”

Mr Donnellan has flagged more money for roads could be on its way. He said the state government was in discussions with its federal counterparts about matching a road funding pledge made during the federal election campaign. Negotiations are also ongoing about how money set aside for the dumped East-West Link would be spent. 

Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell said in a letter to the editor in 2014, Mr Donnellan, then the Shadow Minister for Roads, wrote that Labor would introduce a $1 billion fund for regional road projects, “which is exclusive of, and in addition to, current funding through the TAC and the current roads budget,” he wrote.

“Where is the $1 billion that was promised?” Mrs Britnell said. 

“Is this pure arrogance or is it pure stupidity?”