LISMORE MP Janelle Saffin says her lobbying for extra funding to fix pothole-riddled local and regional roads across her electorate in the wake of this year’s floods has paid off but the problem deserves more attention going into 2023.
“I’ve been raising the pothole issue with the NSW Government before and since the floods, and I welcome the $50-million Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round as a win from that sustained, strategic advocacy,” Ms Saffin says.
“It’s a start but what would really help our local councils is if The Nationals in Government honoured their 2019 election promise to transfer 15,000 kilometres of regional roads from local councils to State ownership.
“The Nationals have shown no sense of urgency in delivering this key election commitment.
“Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway even had the audacity to claim that it’s not a burning issue for councils.
“Tell that to local people whose tyres and suspensions are being wrecked on deteriorating country roads or to mayors and general managers trying to keep up with their road maintenance backlogs.”
From this month (December 2022), 94 regional councils are receiving their share of the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round.
The grant allocations included:
- Lismore City Council — $422,000.
- Kyogle Council — $415,000.
- Tenterfield Shire Council — $579,000.
- Tweed Shire Council – $428,000.
