The Victorian Greens have slammed Labor’s decision to privatise more of Victoria’s road maintenance network, warning it will leave taxpayers paying more while already crumbling roads get worse.
The ACCC has now cleared the sale of the government-owned SprayLine Road Services’ spray sealing and line marking operations to private contractor VSA Roads, completing Labor’s move to get out of directly delivering this critical road maintenance work.
The sale comes as Victorians are already dealing with deteriorating roads that are riddled with potholes.
Industry figures warn reduced competition could push up the cost of resurfacing and mean fewer kilometres of road are repaired for the same amount of public money.
As stated by Victorian Greens Deputy Leader, Dr Sarah Mansfield:
“Labor has looked at Victoria’s pothole-riddled roads and somehow decided the answer is more privatisation.
“This is the same tired privatisation playbook that Labor’s copied off Jeff Kennet – sell off a public service, hand control to private companies, then leave taxpayers paying more for less.
“Preventative road maintenance is exactly the kind of essential service the government should have the capacity to deliver itself. Once you sell that capacity off, you become completely reliant on private contractors and whatever price they decide to charge.
“This is just the latest item on Labor’s very long privatisation list – and Victorians are the ones left paying the price. VicRoads, the Land Titles Office, handed public housing over to private developers, and now they’re selling off the crews responsible for maintaining our roads.”
“Labor’s obsession with privatisation has hollowed out the basic things a state government should actually be able to deliver itself.”
