Published April 2025
A new analysis of road infrastructure investment shows just how lopsided Labor’s road funding priorities are in South Australia and the Opposition says it appears regional communities are being taken for granted.
According to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, a whopping 93.7% of all road funding is going to projects in metropolitan Adelaide. The remaining 6.3% is split between the Adelaide Hills and the rest of the state:
Most of the metropolitan spend is tied up in the $15.4 billion North–South Corridor, a project flowing through Labor’s city-held and marginal electorates.
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Ben Hood, said that while city drivers are set to cruise down billion-dollar tunnels, people in the Hills and regions are still dodging potholes, crumbling verges and long-ignored black spots.
“It’s clear where the government’s focus is. The city gets billions in upgrades while the rest of us wait for basic safety improvements that never seem to come,” Mr Hood said.
“We also know that there are genuine safety concerns about many of these well-known blackspots that are blatantly ignored for upgrades.”
This is backed up by the release today of the RAA’s 2024 Risky Roads survey which shows as #2 billion road maintenance backlog across South Australia.
The top two most dangerous regional roads, Victor Harbor Road and Main South Road, were slammed in the report for poor maintenance, unsafe geometry, and lack of capacity.
Shadow Minister for Road Safety, Jack Batty, said regional roads are also where the most serious injuries and deaths occur, particularly from rollovers and vehicles hitting trees or poles after running off the road.
“The data makes it clear—regional roads aren’t just rough, they’re deadly,” Mr Batty said.
“Labor’s been in power for 19 of the past 23 years. That $2 billion backlog is the result of years of neglect, especially outside Adelaide.”
Mr Hood concluded by highlighted the Liberals’ plan to back real solutions that benefit the whole state, such as the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass, for which the Federal Coalition committed $840 million and the State Liberals committed $211 million.
“This is the kind of project that eases congestion, boosts productivity and takes the pressure off both metro and regional roads, yet the State Labor Government are yet to commit a single dollar,” Mr Hood concluded.
“If you live outside of Adelaide, you’re being told by this Labor Government that you don’t matter. And people are tired of it.”
Media Contact: Hayley McDonald 0408 100 373
