Key facts
- Potholes have become a prominent issue in Victoria, potentially defining the upcoming November election.
- An auditor general report found 48% of Victorian roads are in poor or very poor condition.
- The gap between recorded road defects and repairs has doubled in the last two years.
- The Victorian government allocated $1.04bn for road maintenance in the 2026-27 budget, while needing $3bn annually.
- Premier Ben Carroll announced an additional $300m to fix 500,000 potholes by January.
- The Coalition has pledged $5bn over four years to fix one million potholes.
Potholes have emerged as a significant political issue in Victoria, Australia, ahead of the November state election, with critics arguing the Labor government has neglected road maintenance for over a decade. The omnipresent nature of the problem, affecting rural roads, regional freeways, and inner-city streets, has led to widespread frustration among drivers.
The National party has highlighted the issue through initiatives like its 'Potholes for All Seasons' calendar, while the opposition has actively campaigned on the problem, even performing pothole repairs themselves. Media reports detail numerous instances of vehicles being damaged by potholes, and insurance claims related to tyre and rim damage are reportedly higher in Victoria compared to other states.
A recent auditor general report revealed that nearly half of Victoria's roads are in poor or very poor condition and are deteriorating faster than they can be repaired. The report indicated a significant funding shortfall, with the Department of Transport estimating $3 billion annually is needed for maintenance, while the government allocated only $1.04 billion for 2026-27. This contrasts with the $8.9 billion forecast to be spent on interest payments for state debt in the same financial year.
In response, Premier Ben Carroll has pledged an additional $300 million to fix 500,000 potholes by the end of January, funded by delays to infrastructure projects and utilizing prisoner labor. He has also committed to reviewing Transport Accident Commission claims and bringing maintenance work in-house. The Coalition, however, has proposed a more substantial $5 billion over four years to fix one million potholes.
Some within the Labor party have expressed concern that focusing on potholes, an area where opponents are perceived as stronger, could be a losing strategy. They suggest a need for new ideas and a shift in the debate. The approach has been compared to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's 'pothole populism,' which uses rapid pothole repair to rebuild trust in government and demonstrate the capacity to deliver on larger progressive agendas. However, critics argue that unlike Mamdani, Carroll's government lacks a broader transformative vision to accompany its pothole repair efforts, instead appearing to address a problem exacerbated by its own prolonged period in office.