- Great Southern and South West regions bring maintenance in-house at Main Roads
- 100 new and transitioning employees to join Main Roads in the latest transitions
- New Main Roads office to be established in Manjimup
Road maintenance in the Great Southern and South West regions has been given a major boost with 100 workers joining Main Roads as part of the State-wide transition of road maintenance functions back into Government.
The WA Labor Government has been progressively moving road maintenance functions back to Main Roads since late 2022. Road maintenance functions were outsourced by the Liberal-National Government in the 1990s.
A total of 39 road maintenance staff will be joining Main Roads in the Great Southern, while 61 will be joining in the South West, where road maintenance will also be strengthened by the establishment of a new Main Roads office in Manjimup.
The Manjimup Office will accommodate 20 new staff, and assist with increased road network management responsibilities.
The addition of 100 staff across the Great Southern and South West takes the total number of staff joining Main Roads since the start of the transition to more than 350.
Six regions plus the metropolitan area have now been successfully transitioned across the State. Main Roads Metropolitan Incident Response services will be the next to come onboard in mid-February, with the final changeover in the Kimberley taking place in November 2024.
Shifting road maintenance functions back to Main Roads improves the pay and conditions for workers, and also supports regional economies by creating sustainable local jobs.
Bringing road maintenance back in-house to Main Roads also supports the State's road network by improving response times when issues arise, including during emergencies.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"Creating sustainable regional jobs is part of our plan to create strong regional communities for the future.
"By bringing road maintenance back into Government, we're delivering quality local jobs with better pay and conditions for workers.
"It also ensures our regional roads are better serviced into the future."
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"The return of road maintenance back to Main Roads has been a key priority for our Government.
"It's very rewarding to see the ongoing progress, and to welcome these new employees to Main Roads across our Great Southern and South West regions.
"The transition process is going to deliver better outcomes for workers, regional economies, and our road network - meaning more local jobs, and road maintenance crews that are better placed to respond to issues when we need them.
"I'm also really happy to see the new Manjimup Office coming together - establishing this new office will provide a long-term regional employment opportunity for the South-West, and a new local interface for Main Roads customers."
