Motorcyclist death sparks debate over Victoria's pothole crisis

A 71‑year‑old motorcyclist died after striking a pothole on the Western Highway near Trawalla Road, west of Ballarat, on Sunday. Emergency services were called shortly before 1pm and the rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

The rider, Peter Mason, known as Tiki, was the president of the Eureka Social Riders club and was respected in the local community.

Mason’s death has sparked comments from fellow riders and politicians. Pedro, founder of Easyriders Australia, said the loss was “real hole in all our hearts” and called the pothole crisis “unacceptable.” Michael White of the podcast Hogs, Cogs and Two Aussie Flogs described the death as “completely senseless.” Liberal leader Jess Wilson called the incident “avoidable,” while Nationals spokesperson Danny O’Brien called it a tragedy that “shouldn’t have happened.”

An auditor general report released last week examined over 23,000km of state roads and found that 48% were in poor or very poor condition, up from 39% in 2021. The report said the gap between road defects recorded and those repaired had doubled between January 2025 and June 2026, indicating deterioration faster than repair capacity.

The Department of Transport had warned the government it needed $3bn a year to maintain pavement levels, but only $1.04bn was allocated for 2026‑27, later increased by $352m under Premier Ben Carroll, who pledged to double pothole repairs from 250,000 to 500,000 in 2026. Carroll said the incident was a tragic loss of life and accepted responsibility for road conditions, stating the government would bring maintenance back inside.