'Bang for buck': Council calls on government to restore underpass funding

The government introduced the Cattle Underpass Scheme in 2016 to help farmers build walkways underneath major roads dividing their properties but the program was quietly defunded in 2020 and there has been no sign of money returning to the scheme.

Moyne Shire launched its own grant program for local farmers in late 2017 and continues to help fund several new underpasses each year, taking thousands of cattle off the shire's roads. Councillors voted to approve three new grants at the November 2023 council meeting and mayor Ian Smith took the opportunity to again ask the government to reinstate its support.

"I'd really encourage the government to look at reinstating their program to help even more farmers install underpasses across the state," Cr Smith said.

"They drive great outcomes across a range of different areas, from road safety to farm productivity."

The state scheme was initially allocated $3 million but once that money ran out other budgetary pressures prompted the government to discontinue it. The council asked for it to be restored before the 2022 budget but the request fell on deaf ears.

Dairy farmer and former mayor Daniel Meade said the underpasses made a huge difference for farmers and motorists.

"From the farmer's perspective, you save time not having to hold cows on track and it obviously allows more convenient access to all parts of your property, even if it's just across the road," Cr Meade said.

"Then if you take into consideration crossing in the dark, which can be necessary but is obviously risky. It's really an investment in the safety of road users."

The council program offers grants of up to $10,000. The three projects funded in November cost between $230,000-$260,000 each, meaning the council was only having to fund four per cent of the project.

Cr Jim Doukas said that was a pretty cost effective scenario for the council.

"Geez, we're getting value for money there," he said.

The state scheme had been much more generous, offering up to $50,000 per underpass in 2016 when the projects cost $150,000 rather than $250,000.

Cr Meade said the state government had "a much larger budget than ours" and had the power to give south-west farmers a bit more assistance improving the efficiency of their farms and the safety of local roads.

"There are so many benefits but safety is an obvious one," he said.

There have been regular incidents involving vehicles crashing into loose livestock on south-west roads in the past decade, which have killed dozens of cattle and sent people to hospital with serious injuries.

Cr Meade said as farms continued to consolidate there would be an ongoing need for underpasses.

"In my opinion if the government reinstated the program there would be demand from farmers for sure," he said.