Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has played down a poll showing Labor trailing the coalition by 10 points on a two-party preferred basis. The Newspoll, published in The Australian, shows a 10 per cent swing against Labor since 2022. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt conceded the election will be tough, while Carroll said the only poll that matters is the vote on November 28. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said her team takes nothing for granted. Carroll also announced a pledge to hire 500 graduate nurses and midwives.
An artificial intelligence system fitted to an RACV roadside assistance van has detected more than 300 road defects across 1,000 kilometres of Victorian roads. The system, called RoughSense, was developed by RMIT University and tested with RACV. It identifies cracking, rutting and emerging potholes as the van completes its normal duties. The highest concentration of defects was found along the Frankston-Flinders Road corridor. Researchers are still assessing the system's accuracy, and the trial runs until January 2027.
Motorcyclists are warning that worsening potholes on South Australian roads are creating serious safety risks. Hundreds of riders are expected at an Adelaide rally on October 31. Adelaide rider Dylan Thorp counted at least 80 potholes in 500 metres on Ridley Rd between Sedan and Mannum. Riders say the holes can upset bike stability and force them to watch the road surface instead of looking ahead.
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The Victorian Government says more than 100,000 potholes have recently been repaired across the state. Crews are on track to fix more than 500,000 by the end of June 2027. The government says it is also doubling the length of road receiving significant repairs to prevent potholes forming. Crews are repairing 6.8 million square metres of road at more than 1000 projects across Victoria. In regional areas, work is targeting the Western, Glenelg, Princes, Hume and Calder highways.
Crews have filled more than 625,000 potholes on New South Wales state roads since April 2023, with thousands of those repairs in the Hunter. Since June, 1,668 potholes have been fixed across the region's state roads. The state has set aside $1.85 billion for road maintenance in the 2026-27 budget, including $1.3 billion for regional routes. Works are often scheduled overnight to limit disruption. Hunter councils will receive over $17.2 million to maintain local roads, and motorists are urged to report potholes.
Northern Beaches Council says its crews have filled 3,162 potholes since 1 July. Crews have also sealed 13,305 linear metres of cracks across 15 streets and completed 6,990 square metres of heavy patching at 39 locations. Major renewal works have been completed in Dee Why, Clontarf and Balgowlah, with a further 100,000 square metres of road renewal due before the end of the financial year. McIntosh Road in Dee Why was resurfaced over a gas main using a specialised geogrid, which the council says extends the road's life at a fraction of full reconstruction cost.
The Victorian Government says more than 100,000 potholes have been repaired across the state since July 1. It expects to fix more than 500,000 by the end of June 2027. Crews are repairing 6.8 million square metres of road at more than 1,000 projects, funded by a $1.4 billion road maintenance investment. Works in the Grampians include the Glenelg Highway, Western Highway, Sunraysia Highway and Nhill-Harrow Road. Minister for Roads and Road Safety Paul Hamer said the program is doubling the number of potholes filled.
Brewarrina Shire Council has set up a separate contact point for road matters. Residents should use the new roads email for issues such as potholes, gravel road grading, drainage, damaged guardrails and flood-related road impacts. All other enquiries go to the council's existing general address. For urgent matters during office hours, residents can call the council, and emergency calls after hours go to a separate number.
Mary Aldred, the Member for Monash, has called on the Victorian state government to send emergency road crews to fix local roads in Bass Coast and South Gippsland. She made the call with Liberal candidate for Bass Rochelle Halstead. Aldred said the roads are unsafe and that there have been a number of accidents, including a recent motorcyclist death caused by a pothole. The call comes ten days before the MotoGP returns to Phillip Island for the final time, with many motorcycle clubs expected to attend.
The Victorian Government says more than 100,000 potholes have been repaired across the state since 1 July. It is on track to fix more than 500,000 by mid-2027. The program is backed by $352 million, and crews have fixed 6.8 million square metres of road at more than 1000 projects. Minister for Roads and Road Safety Paul Hamer said the work is doubling the number of potholes filled. Crews are also mowing grass, removing rubbish, cleaning graffiti and inspecting bridges.
Pothole repairs have begun across Greater Geelong and the Bellarine and are due to finish by June next year. The state government will target key roads in the south-west, including Princes Highway West, Hamilton Highway and Barwon Heads Road. Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said more than 100,000 potholes have already been fixed. Roads minister Paul Hamer said crews will repair 6.8 million square metres of road across more than 1000 projects statewide. Crews will also inspect thousands of bridges and maintain traffic lights and electronic road signs.
Crews have started cleaning up 15 ramps on the Monash Freeway, between Malvern and Narre Warren. Work includes graffiti removal, sign repairs, sweeping, weed removal and other roadside maintenance. The work is part of a $36.9 million Better Roadsides program and is carried out nightly between 9:00pm and 5:00am, with each ramp closed for one night. The government says more than 83,000 potholes have been repaired since 1 July, with a target of 500,000 this year.
