THURSDAY: An Elphinstone farmer fears it is only a matter of time before someone is killed beside his property.

Jason Shaw’s land borders two kilometres of VicRoads wildlife fencing along the Calder Freeway, and last December when storms tore through the region, it was damaged by fallen trees.

Large mobs of kangaroos are now escaping and entering the freeway – doing the opposite of what the fence is designed for.

A motorcyclist was killed nearby in November when his bike hit a kangaroo and Mr Shaw fears it will happen again and soon.

“Somebody else is going to die or be seriously injured,” he said.

“But I’m just getting nowhere.”

Mr Shaw has contacted VicRoads six times since December 23.

“It’s just promise after promise and nothing is happening,” he said.

“You’ve got people going past doing 110km/h – if they hit one of [the kangaroos]...”

When contacted by the Bendigo Advertiser on Wednesday, VicRoads said the problem was solved.

“We are pleased to report that repairs to the fence along the boundary of Mr Shaw's property were completed yesterday,” VicRoads northern region acting regional director  Brian Westley said.

“We understand the frustration in time it has taken for the repairs and we thank Mr Shaw for his patience.”

But photos taken on Wednesday afternoon show the problem remains.

“It started off as a safety issue and now it’s a financial issue,” Mr Shaw said.

“Today, I’ve just sold half of my sheep to buy feed.”

Mr Shaw runs sheep and llamas on his property, as well as agisting horses. But with the boundary fence to his property damaged, he can’t put livestock on a third of his property.

“The paddocks are sitting there doing nothing and they have got feed in them,” he said.

“So I am having to hand feed all my stock, which is creating extra work and financial expense to me.”

Mr Shaw’s offers to fix the fence himself were denied, so instead he asked for compensation for the feed at least.

This too was denied, as according to the Road Management Act 2004, a property owner is responsible for containing and managing their livestock when a boundary fence has been damaged. 

“I find this impossible to believe that I am not entitled to be compensated for my costs as they just keep escalating the longer this goes on,” Mr Shaw said.

To make matters worse, not only was the boundary fence impacted by the December storm, Mr Shaw’s property also clocked up a $40,000 damage bill, with only half covered by insurance.

And the longer this drags out, the more it costs.

“We can’t afford to keep feeding them,” Mr Shaw said.

“I feel I am fighting a losing battle.”