'Won't survive': Roads and councils at risk without funding boost, mayor says

Following the federal budget, Greater Hume mayor Tony Quinn said that, for a rural council, it's impossible to collect adequate funding through rates and fees due to small populations.

Yet, he says, the government expects local councils to make up 60 per cent of its budget through these measures.

"We're sitting pretty budget-wise at present," Cr Quinn said.

"But if you analyse our budget, you'll see a big percentage of it's spent on roads and government grants. There's all sorts of formulas whereby councils are supposed to get 60 per cent in their budget from fees and rates and everything.

"But that doesn't work in the bush at all. It's impossible because there's not enough people.

"Yet, in our case, we've got nearly 3000 kilometres of roads and 1200-odd kilometres of gravel roads."

Cr Quinn said at present, the council is getting by, "but it's down the track that things are not going to look good at all unless there's a big injection of funds".

Local councils receive roughly 0.5 per cent of the federal budget and if that number was 1 per cent, councils would have a "chance of survival", the mayor said.

In the federal budget, the government announced spending on the Roads to Recovery and Black Spot programs would progressively increase to $1 billion and $150 million respectively by 2033-34.

The safer local roads and infrastructure program, to address heavy vehicle road safety and bridge renewal, will also receive $200 million in funding each year until 2033-34.

Meanwhile, the government will spend billions on new roads in western Sydney, as well as on existing road projects across the country including Melbourne's North East Link.

"If we got 1 per cent (of the federal budget), we'd be able to survive," Cr Quinn said.

"But with half a per cent, no. Council has taken on far too many things because the government keeps pushing things onto us. We're now trying to get that to a stage where we might be able to offload it to private enterprise.

"If something doesn't change, in five or 10 years from now, you'll have a road structure just full of bits. You'll drive your car out here and you'll go through potholes and you'll do wheels and all sorts of things."

Cr Quinn said with state funding, again rural councils were often overlooked due to lack of voters.

"There's not enough voters in the bush, and therefore, you only get bits of handouts," he said.

"But the reality of it is that people cross through here all the time, driving from Sydney to Melbourne, and they use our roads.

"You get lots of comments now about the Victorian roads because an enormous amount of tourists come through there - they're in a very poor state.

"That's because of lack of funding."

The Greater Hume council 2025-2028 draft budget is out for community consultation until Friday, May 17, and will be debated at the next council meeting on June 19.