Kimberley is final region to bring Main Roads maintenance in-house

Eighteen new staff transitioned to Main Roads in the Kimberley on November 28, marking the final step in the State Government’s initiative to bring road maintenance in-house across the State.

Announced in April 2022, the initiative was designed to bring road maintenance and some minor capital works in-house rather than contracting the work out.

The move to in-house road maintenance has now been rolled out to all seven regional Main Roads offices, as well as the metropolitan area, including the Incident Response Service.

More than 550 new permanent positions have been filled with over 420 of these jobs filled by employees previously working for contractors who will now receive better pay, conditions and have permanent jobs under Main Roads.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said bringing road maintenance functions back in-house at Main Roads was one way the Government was delivering more jobs.

“Road maintenance work was outsourced by the Liberals and Nationals several decades ago, but the in-house delivery model has created hundreds of well-paid local jobs in regional communities across our State,” she said.

“Returning road maintenance in-house means better response times when maintenance and repair works are required, as we have the crews ready to respond.”

Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said the transition will improve conditions for Kimberley communities by bringing job security and improving supply routes.

“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 that when urgent road works are required, the response will be quicker,” she said.

Main Roads crew leader Brett Travis said the transition to Main Roads meant work was more reliable and less volatile.

“It means that you’re not constantly changing your uniform. We’ve got job security now, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“They also do a lot of traineeships for the younger ones which is a good thing.

“This is the first time I’ve worked for the government. I’ve always been self employed as an electrician and I’ve had numerous apprentices so it’s good to see that carried on at Main Roads as well.”

Some $48.8m has been invested in new or expanded offices and maintenance depots in Manjimup, Broome, Karratha, Esperance, Neerabup, Jandakot and Welshpool to support the initiative.