❓ Question regarding Main Roads' reactive maintenance approach highlighted in a 2016 Auditor General report and steps taken to address the concerns. The answer defends the current prioritisation of high-risk maintenance and outlines actions taken since the report.
AnsweredQoN 833Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the 2016 Auditor General report, 'Maintaining the State Road Network - Follow-on Audit', page 7, which says "Most of the maintenance on the network is reactive, done when it becomes critical", and "The available budget... was allocated to high priority needs, rather than balanced across lower priority needs to prevent them escalating and becoming more complex and expensive to fix. As complexity increases, so does cost resulting in less maintenance being done with the available funding", and "Main Roads is aware that preventative maintenance offers better value for money and prolongs the life of the network. However, it does not have a comprehensive strategy which balances the need to move to a preventative approach while still undertaking critical repairs", and I ask: (a) what is the current Main Roads position on the issues raised in the report which have been quoted above; and (b) since the report was published, what steps have been taken to address the concern, acknowledging the complex nature of the dilemma?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
2 December 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport
Response time
7 days
(a)-(b) Main Roads continues to prioritise funding from the available budget for high-priority maintenance activities to manage risk. Redirecting resources to lower-priority areas would elevate risks to asset preservation, safety, and reputational damage.
Since the report’s release, Main Roads has taken several steps to address the concerns raised, including:
· undertaking assessments to identify the effectiveness of current asset management practices and identify areas for improvement, including implementation of improvement plans.
· aligning with international best practice and standards.
· working on a model for future maintenance needs.
· the use of a preventative maintenance indicator, to track and report the performance.
Since the report’s release, Main Roads has taken several steps to address the concerns raised, including:
· undertaking assessments to identify the effectiveness of current asset management practices and identify areas for improvement, including implementation of improvement plans.
· aligning with international best practice and standards.
· working on a model for future maintenance needs.
· the use of a preventative maintenance indicator, to track and report the performance.
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