Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has launched a scathing attack on Premier Jacinta Allan, accusing her of hypocrisy after she publicly criticised Telstra over a major telecommunications outage while, he argues, failing to adequately address Victoria’s deteriorating road network.

Writing in an opinion column, Kennett said the widespread Telstra disruption demonstrated how vulnerable modern society has become to failures in critical infrastructure. However, he argued that the Premier’s response to the outage contrasted sharply with what he described as years of inadequate action on the state’s road maintenance problems.

“Sadly, we can never predict when incidents like the Telstra outage will occur,” Kennett wrote.

“What was extraordinary was the Premier’s response.”

According to Kennett, while Allan was quick to demand accountability from Telstra, motorists across Victoria have for years been left paying for damaged tyres, cracked wheels and vehicle repairs caused by potholes without receiving similar support or compensation from the state government.

The criticism followed a major Telstra outage that disrupted mobile and internet services across parts of Australia, affecting customers’ ability to make calls, access online services and, in some cases, contact emergency services before normal operations were progressively restored.

Premier Allan described the disruption as unacceptable and urged Telstra to provide answers, saying Victorians deserved reliable telecommunications infrastructure given the essential role such services play in daily life.

State officials also sought assurances that systems would be strengthened to reduce the likelihood of similar failures in future.

Kennett, however, argued that governments should apply the same standard of accountability to their own responsibilities.

He claimed Victoria’s road network has steadily deteriorated over recent years, leaving many drivers facing expensive repair bills after encountering damaged road surfaces.

In his view, the state government should accept greater responsibility for infrastructure failures under its direct control before publicly criticising private companies for service interruptions.

“If Telstra must answer for network failures, surely governments should answer for roads that damage people’s vehicles,” he argued.

The condition of Victoria’s roads has become an increasingly significant political issue ahead of the next state election.

Regional communities, freight operators and motoring organisations have repeatedly expressed concerns about deteriorating road surfaces, particularly following years of heavy rainfall and flooding that accelerated pavement damage across many parts of the state.

The issue has also become a major focus for the Victorian Opposition.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson recently announced a proposed $5 billion roads package, promising to repair one million potholes, expand preventive road maintenance and establish a dedicated Better Roads Victoria division if elected. The Coalition argues years of underinvestment have left motorists paying the price through vehicle damage and reduced road safety.

The Allan Government rejects suggestions it has neglected Victoria’s road network.

Earlier this year, the government announced what it described as a record $1 billion investment in road repairs and resurfacing, with approximately 70 per cent of funding directed towards regional Victoria.

The government says hundreds of thousands of potholes are being repaired as part of the largest road maintenance program in the state’s history, while also acknowledging that sustained periods of severe weather have significantly increased repair demands.

Kennett’s column therefore reflects a broader political argument rather than a dispute solely about Telstra.

His central criticism is that governments should be judged by the same expectations they impose on major corporations when essential services fail.

Supporters of the government’s position counter that the two issues are fundamentally different.

They argue an unexpected telecommunications outage requires immediate public accountability from the service provider, while road maintenance represents an ongoing infrastructure challenge influenced by weather, funding priorities and the scale of Victoria’s extensive road network.

The Telstra outage itself has prompted renewed discussion about the resilience of Australia’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Increasing reliance on mobile connectivity means outages can affect emergency communications, businesses, transport systems and financial transactions, making network reliability an issue of growing national importance.

Likewise, deteriorating road infrastructure has become a significant cost-of-living concern for many motorists, with repair bills for tyres, suspension components and wheel damage adding to household expenses during a period of broader economic pressure.

Whether those two issues should be directly compared remains a matter of political opinion.

Kennett believes they expose inconsistent standards of accountability.

The Allan Government maintains it is actively investing in road improvements while appropriately demanding answers from Telstra over a major disruption to an essential public service.

As Victoria moves closer to the next election, debates over infrastructure, public services and government accountability are likely to remain central themes.

For now, Kennett’s remarks have added another high-profile voice to the growing political discussion about whether governments should be held to the same standards of performance they expect from the companies that provide essential services to Australians.