Rural Councils Victoria is urging its members to make a submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry about the impact of severe weather events on Australia's rural, regional and remote road network.
Submissions have to be lodged with the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport inquiry by the end of the month.
RCV is making a high-level submission on behalf of member councils.
Council chief executives across the state have been asked to make additions to the submission, to ensure rural Victorian communities get the responses they need, chair Mary-Ann Brown said.
"We are doing a pretty high-level submission because part of the inquiry is about technical matters - better ways to construct roads," Cr Brown said.
"It's about making sure when we build roads, we are building back better, in terms of things like drainage."
She said she didn't know if the inquiry would result in an increase in funding, which was needed.
"We will have some evidence-based advice as to better ways to build roads, but, ultimately in the long term, we just need more funding," she said.
Cr Brown said some councils could have answers as to how to build more resilient roads.
"Some of them had experience from floods in 2012 - I think that will have influenced some of the actions they have taken, since then," she said.
She said the Glenelg Highway was in particularly poor shape.
"They are doing works on some parts of it, and some of the work that's been done in the last couple of years is already starting to break down," she said.
"If you are going to be doing repairs, it's got to be done so it has a life of 20-25 years, not just a couple of years."
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Parliamentary committee chair Solomon Labor MP Luke Gosling said the inquiry would look at road engineering and construction standards to strengthen road resiliency against natural disasters.
"The committee is concerned about the increasing deterioration of the nation's road network, particularly in regional, rural, and remote areas," Mr Gosling said.
"The extreme flooding events and other natural disasters across the nation have impacted many Australians, and the committee is seeking to understand how road planning and construction may be improved to enhance road climate resiliency and support our communities."
Meanwhile, the state government said two key freight routes in the south-west are about to undergo major road rebuilding works, as part of its summer time works blitz.
Roads and Road Safety minister Melissa Horne said crews would target a total of four sections of the Glenelg and Hamilton Highways in coming weeks.
With work already underway along the Glenelg Highway, crews would deliver a 2.4 kilometre rehabilitation east of Hamilton and a 2.3 kilometre road rebuild between Casterton and Coleraine.
The Hamilton Highway will see one of the largest road rebuilding projects for the 2022/23 maintenance season, including 3.5 kilometre between Mortlake and Darlington.
A second section of the Hamilton Highway will also be rebuilt at Hexham.
Other works set to be delivered across the region between now and mid-2023 include major road maintenance projects on Henty Highway and Casterton-Penola Road.
"We're strengthening roads right across Victoria, including in the state's south west, to improve connections for local drivers, freight operators and visitors to the regions," Ms Horne said.
"Our regional road maintenance blitz will ensure smoother, more reliable journeys along these major highways which serve as prime freight routes for the local dairy and timber industries."
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Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
