# Labor had 12 years to fix Victorian roads. Its new ‘pothole populism’ may be too late

https://mins.news/en/item/56147

- The Guardian, 2026-09-12 20:00 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/13/labor-victorian-roads-potholes-populism-may-be-too-late

> Potholes have spread across Victoria and could become the defining issue of November’s state election. The opposition has made them a campaign focus, while Premier Ben Carroll has pledged an extra A$300m to repair 500,000 potholes by the end of January. An audit found 48% of roads in poor or very poor condition, with the repair gap widening.