As Peter Malinauskas shows little care for the state of South Australia’s regional roads by ditching the standalone portfolio as part of his Cabinet reshuffle, the Opposition is strengthening its efforts to see maintenance issues addressed with a new campaign.

The “Report Your Road” campaign will be launched ahead of another Liberal Party trip to the regions.

South Australians are being encouraged to take photos when they come across a regional road in bad shape and submit it to “Report Your Road” via the website or a dedicated text line.

The Opposition will then step in and fill the void created by Peter Malinauskas, who chose not to appoint a new Minister for Regional Roads following the resignation of Geoff Brock, and advocate for greater funding to upgrade roads in need.

Leader of the Opposition, David Speirs, will take the new campaign on the road as he prepares to travel to Mount Gambier tomorrow.

“We are constantly hearing complaints about the state of our regional roads, and we want to make sure the voices of those South Australians concerned about this issue are heard loud and clear,” Mr Speirs said.

“Labor has a terrible track record when it comes to advocating for the needs of regional South Australians and Peter Malinauskas has done it again by kicking the Regional Roads portfolio to the kerb.

“I encourage everyone who travels around our great state who notices a road in poor condition to submit it to ‘Report Your Road’, and together we’ll send a message to Peter Malinauskas and Labor that they can’t abandon our regions any longer.”

Shadow Minister for Regional Roads, Adrian Pederick, said he is deeply disappointed there is no longer a dedicated Minister and fears our regional road network will slip even further down Labor’s priority list.

“Safe, well-maintained roads shouldn’t be viewed as a luxury but a necessity, and the state of disrepair I’ve witnessed in our regions would never be tolerated in the city,” Mr Pederick said.

“Even before Geoff Brock’s resignation, Labor showed how little they care about the condition of our regional roads with $400 million dollars of cuts to critical regional infrastructure projects like the Truro Freight route, and lengthy delays to the Strzelecki Track upgrades.

“Get on board and ‘Report Your Road’ and let’s make sure our regional roads get the attention they deserve.”

Shadow Minister for Regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti, said we can’t just sit back and watch as our regional road network continues to deteriorate.

“Our regions are the backbone of our economy, and our producers rely on reliable, well-maintained transport routes,” Dr Centofanti said.

“Our state’s road maintenance backlog is already about $2 billion, and the more Labor continues to neglect our regional road network, the more it will cost South Australians in the long run to upgrade it to an acceptable standard.

“The issues that matter to regional South Australians shouldn’t be sidelined, but that’s exactly what Peter Malinauskas and his city-centric Labor Government have done by axing the Regional Roads portfolio.”

Travelling on a road in regional South Australia that’s in bad shape? Take a photo and text it to 0416 823 055 with the location and your name.

For more information about Report Your Road, visit reportyourroadsa.com.au.