All Western Australia’s road maintenance practices are officially in-house, following the transfer of 18 Kimberley Region staff to positions at Main Roads WA.
The transfer of the state’s road maintenance services to Main Roads WA was announced in April 2022 to shift away from contracting out road maintenance work.
Over 550 new jobs have been created since the start of the initiative, with over 420 of those filled by employees who were previously working for contractors.
“Creating more jobs for Western Australians is one of our government’s top priorities, and bringing road maintenance functions back in-house at Main Roads is one way we are delivering that,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says.
“Returning road maintenance in-house means better response times when maintenance and repair works are required, as we have the crews ready to respond.
“It has been very rewarding to see the transition process over the past two years, and to see how the change is delivering better outcomes for workers and regional economies.”
The transition for road maintenance to move in-house officially commenced in October 2022, months after it was announced.
$48.8 million has been invested into new or expanded existing offices and maintenance depots at Manjimup, Broome, Karratha, Esperance, Neerabup, Jandakot and Welshpool.
“Returning road maintenance is a big win for our local economy as it means more well-paid jobs being retained in our communities long-term,” Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna says.
“We know firsthand how much the road network in the Kimberley can be impacted by severe weather. Having maintenance crews based here with Main Roads means when urgent roadworks are required, the response will be quicker.”
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