By Corey Everitt
A Coalition Government has committed to reinstate $100 million of funding to seal roads throughout the Hills, a project that has fast become one of the top local issues.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Bridget McKenzie were joined by Hills residents in Gembrook on Monday 14 April as they announced a commitment to reignite the project which was initiated by their previous government under Scott Morrison.
Formally known colloquially as ‘Sealing the Hills’, this former $300 million program aimed to seal 164 dirt roads throughout Cardinia and Yarra Ranges Shire Councils.
In 2023, the Albanese Government withdrew funding after only 38 of the planned roads were sealed, leaving both councils over $200 million short of previous presumed funding.
The topic has been a source of outrage among the community and questions loomed this election campaign as to whether the Coalition will recommit to their former program.
Minister McKenzie said the funding will ensure safe roads in the disaster-prone area.
“Having roads that are accessible, easy and safe to drive is incredibly important,” she said.
“When we talk to local residents, they’ve spoken about the damage the pot holes have done, how slowly they have to travel along them for safety reasons and just the amenity, the dust.”
The promise is a $100 million split between both councils over the next four years.
How exactly it will be split is not detailed yet and it is short of the over $200 million of funding which was cut from the original project.
Member of the Gembrook Road Action Group, Derek Jones was pleased with the commitment.
“We welcome the announcement from Senator McKenzie and Member for La Trobe Jason Wood and we are pleased to see this issue of unsealed roads in what is now peri-urban areas will be addressed,” he said.
“We also welcome a response from other parties in this forthcoming federal election, as to any commitments in this area.”
The project will follow the same scheme as the previous, with contributions from the council and residents joined by federal government funds with each sealing project.
Mr Wood said this was something the Coalition “could not walk away from” after so much appeal from local groups.
He hopes the Labor Party will match this commitment.
“They need to match it, it’s just heartless,” he said.
The Labor Party has been contacted for comment.
