Council & Business
3 July, 2026
Council satisfaction declines
Community satisfaction data reveals Central Goldfields Shire residents appear to be losing faith in council's direction.
Recently released data shows the Central Goldfields Shire community appear to be losing faith in council.
The community’s perception of the local council is tracked through the annual Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey coordinated by the Department of Government Services.
The data was collected through a mix of 302 phone calls and 106 online responses during February and March this year.
The Community Satisfaction Survey reveals council’s performance has largely decreased, remaining below both state and regional benchmarks.
Council’s overall performance has fallen four points to 44 out of 100, with the direction of council and spending of public funds showing the most significant decline.
Receiving the lowest score and steepest decline was the community’s view on how council spend public funds.
The score dropped nine points to a score of 35.
That’s equal to Hepburn Shire Council’s value for money evaluation — a shire which has been plagued by financial troubles for the past decade.
The next largest drop, in confidence, both by five points, was council’s ability to make decisions in the interest of the community, at 41, and the direction of council’s performance, at 38.
The only core areas that didn’t see a drop was the condition of sealed roads, increasing by five to 43, and waste management, their highest score at 70.
Both evaluations, however, are slightly below the state and their small council peers.
Central Goldfields Shire CEO Peter Harriott said the results were “disappointing” and would guide council’s decisions in future.
“We’re committed to continuous improvement and to doing the best job we can within the financial and resource constraints that we operate under,” Mr Harriott said.
Council recently adopted their first budget in a four year plan to save $11 million reversing a deficit of $5.5 million recorded in 2023/24.
This year’s community satisfaction survey added a new question asking respondents what their priorities for council investment are — 39 percent nominated swimming pool and 25 percent roads.
“We’re in a difficult position with the pool because there’s a gap between the available state and federal funding, and escalating costs in the current inflationary environment,” Mr Harriott said.
“We have to do a better job of explaining this and we’ll be sure to keep the community fully informed.”
The Community Satisfaction Survey’s recommendation centred on a “broader perception issue” surrounding community trust.
Among the recommendations council were encouraged to prioritise transparent engagement and clear communication with residents.