Country roads leave much to be desired

Since late 2021, we've seen floods wreak havoc across our valleys and sweep away critical infrastructure throughout the state.

Roads and bridges were no exception to this carnage, with thousands of kilometres of roads in regional NSW damaged by successive disasters.

Years on, some efforts have been made to pave the way to restoration - but there remains much of the heavy lifting to be done.

Reports of major routes still closed, restricted or in utter disrepair remain widespread. Potholes have only deepened and bitumen disintegrated as the months roll on with little promise of improvement on the horizon.

Transporting food from farm gate to dinner plate has gotten harder, not easier, and travelling in our productive regions has become even more perilous than it has been in the past.

Many continue to face up to the fact that a dangerous road is the only way to work, to get help or to their home in rural NSW.

This Easter, as the population set out on our regional roads to visit friends and family, I held my breath as travellers traversed damaged and dangerous routes by the thousands.

Getting everyone to their destination and back safely should be a top priority - nothing less.

The state of our roads is simply not up to scratch, and federal and state governments can no longer bypass their responsibility.

Real action to repair these routes must be front and centre in government budgets this year, or else rural Australia will remain an accident waiting to happen.

Our mobile coverage is deteriorating, and our roads continue to decline further and further into ruin. How much more dysfunction can we tolerate before the right funding arrives?

Our communities should be moving forwards, not backwards - but it is near impossible to do so when the infrastructure we rely on to progress simply does not do the job.