July 14th, 2025Overall satisfaction rating for council drops
Results from the 2025 Satisfaction Survey for Hepburn Shire have been released. And in the words of Mick Jagger, the community still can’t get no satisfaction.
The council’s overall rating dropped three points from last year’s rating of 49 and now sits at 46. There is an eight-point difference between the council and the average for small rural councils across the state.
The council also rates lower than the average for small rural shires in every category, 17 in total.
It is lower than the council’s 2024 rankings in 13 categories, equal in one and higher in three.
Despite this, a council media release says: “Compared to 2024, overall satisfaction with most council services remains the same.”
The rankings are:
Hepburn 2025 | Hepburn 2024 | Small Rural Shire 2025 | State-wide average 2025
Overall performance 46, 49, 54, 53
Value for money: 39, 42, 47, 47
Overall council direction: 38, 44, 46, 46
Customer service: 64, 64, 65, 66
Appearance of public areas: 63, 64, 70, 68
Tourism development: 63, 61, 62, 60
Recreational facilities: 60, 61, 66, 67
Waste management: 58, 65, 66, 65
Environmental sustainability: 56, 57, 58, 59
Enforcement of local laws: 55, 56, 58, 59
Business & community development: 53, 56, 55, 54
Consultation & engagement: 47, 52, 51, 50
Lobbying: 45, 48, 51, 49
Slashing & weed control: 44, 42, 49, 47
Community decisions: 42, 46, 50, 49
Sealed local roads: 33, 29, 44, 45
Planning & building permits: 33, 35, 43, 43
Mayor, Cr Don Henderson, said that while the council’s overall performance score was disappointing, it reflected how the community currently feels “and urges us to do better”.
“Our focus for the next year and beyond will be on continued transparency, maintaining sealed roads and refining our processes in the planning and building department,” he said.
“It is vital that we respond to the community’s concerns and continue to work towards a better future for all.
“Positively, we have improved in the areas of Appearance of public areas, Tourism development and Recreational facilities, maintaining a higher satisfaction level.
“Similarly, customer service continues to be one of council’s best-performing areas and is at par with the small rural council average and just below the state average.
“We recognise that we do not always get things right, but we are striving to build a financially sustainable, transparent and community-focused organisation.”
In its findings, the Victorian Community Satisfaction Survey noted that Hepburn Shire Council’s overall performance saw a (not significant) three-point decline in 2025.
“Ratings in the majority of individual service areas evaluated are on par with the previous year’s results. Significant declines in perceptions of performance are evident in waste management, consultation and engagement, and community decisions.
“On a positive note, council achieved a significant improvement in the maintenance of sealed local roads, reversing three consecutive years of significant declines since 2022.
“Community decisions, community consultation and engagement, and the related area of lobbying are among council’s lower performing service areas, with the two former areas experiencing significant declines in the past 12 months.
“Due to their strong influence on overall perceptions of council, these areas should be prioritised for improvement. Further, the condition of sealed local roads, and planning and building permits should also be a focus, as these areas also have a moderate to strong influence on overall perceptions.
“On the core measures of overall performance and value for money, council performs significantly lower than the Small Rural group and the State-wide average for councils.
“Council also performs significantly lower than both averages in 10 of the 13 service areas evaluated. Council is rated in-line with the Small Rural group averages in the remaining service areas.
“In the area of tourism development, council performance is rated significantly higher than the State-wide average. Recreational facilities and the appearance of public areas are among council’s strongest performing service areas. However, these areas have experienced minor (not significant) declines this year.
“Given these service areas have a positive influence on overall performance perceptions, maintaining a strong performance here is warranted to prevent further declines. These are tangible areas where enhancements are more readily noticed.
“Consistent with previous evaluations of the trade-off between rates and council services, 50 per cent of residents ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ prefer service cuts to maintain current council rates, far more than prefer rate rises to improve local services (23 per cent).”
The Victorian Community Satisfaction Survey creates a vital interface between the council and their community. Held annually, the CSS asks the opinions of local people about the place they live, work and play and provides confidence for councils’ in their efforts and abilities. Participation is voluntary.
The full results are at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au – search satisfaction survey.
Words: Donna Kelly
