Corangamite Shire Council frustrated with Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements

Corangamite Shire Council staff took aim at the federal and state government's "frustrating" Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements at a monthly meeting on Tuesday night.

The discussion followed a series of recent flooding events across the shire.

Under current arrangements, the shire's workforce - which regularly maintains the road network - must be replaced by contractors.

That's because council day labour, plant and equipment are currently not an eligible expenditure.

Only by using the external workforce will the cost of repairs be covered, meaning the council will need to hire plant and equipment from contractors, an "unnecessary additional administration burden" given a state-wide shortage in labour.

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Mayor Ruth Gstrein said the "disappointing" arrangements impeded on the council's ability to deliver repairs in a timely manner under the Road Management Act.

"The issue around day labour in Victoria and repairing roads that have been affected by the floods is just so frustrating when our workers know our roads better than anybody else - how disappointing it is we can't use them," she said.

"People out there driving in their cars on roads covered in potholes don't care whose road it is, council or state, just reading social media, people just want the roads fixed.

"The sooner they're repaired the better rather than waiting for contractors to become available."

Director of works and services Brooke Love said that was an issue council representatives touched on at the 2022 ALGA National Local Roads and Transport Congress earlier this month.

The conference provided members of local governments with an opportunity to hear from industry experts on current issues, challenges and emerging trends in roads and transport.

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