Emergency services were called to Trawalla, west of Ballarat, shortly before 1pm on Sunday following reports a motorcycle had struck a pothole. The 71-year-old rider, from Ballarat, died at the scene after reportedly losing control on the Western Highway, near Trawalla Road.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. The incident has renewed concerns about the condition of Victoria's public roads.
A report from the Victorian auditor general on September 9 stated that 48% of the state's road network was in poor or very poor condition, an increase from 39% in 2021. The report, which examined over 23,000 kilometres of state roads, described the overall condition of Victoria’s public roads as “deteriorating”.
The Victorian Coalition has pledged $5bn over four years to address 1 million potholes and re-establish preventive road maintenance. The Labor government has committed $352m to double the number of potholes fixed in 2026 from 250,000 to 500,000.
Premier Ben Carroll described the incident as “a tragic loss of life” and stated that “road conditions aren’t good enough.” He added that road maintenance would be brought back inside government, having been outsourced in the mid-1990s.