23/12/2025
๐๐ข ๐ช๐ ๐ง๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฆ?
'๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต' ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ?
๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐
For a quarter of a century, Victorians have been told that local government is more professional, more accountable and more capable than ever before.
The data says otherwise.
When the full Statewide Community Satisfaction Survey history is examined - from 2001 through to 2025 - an uncomfortable truth emerges: ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ.
This is not a rhetorical claim. It is a documented regression.
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐
In the early 2000s, councils were emerging from the upheaval of amalgamations. Services were basic, staffing was lean, and expectations were modest. In 2001, overall satisfaction sat in the low-to-mid 50s.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ.
Between 2001 and 2005, councils improved roads, waste services, libraries, parks and customer contact.
๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐-๐ญ๐จ-๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐ฌ.
This was the high-water mark of local government legitimacy.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐.
From 2005 to 2015, satisfaction plateaued. Spending increased, organisational layers expanded, but outcomes stagnated. Warning signs appeared: frustration with planning, consultation fatigue, and growing cynicism about whose interests councils served.
๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
During the pandemic, councils briefly regained relevance. In 2021, satisfaction ticked up again as councils were visible, local and responsive. But the moment emergency conditions ended, the floor collapsed.
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐.
Overall satisfaction fell year after year. Roads deteriorated. Planning confidence collapsed. Most critically, trust in council decision-making cratered.
By 2025, satisfaction had fallen back to 2001 levels.
๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐๐๐ฌ: ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฑ
Local roads and footpaths have been the number one issue in community surveys for over two decades.
In the early 2000s, road satisfaction was dire. Councils improved it significantly by 2005. Since then, it has flatlined - and in recent years, collapsed.
By 2024โ25, satisfaction with sealed local roads is worse than it was a decade ago, despite vastly higher budgets and staffing levels.
This is not ignorance. Councils know roads matter. They simply choose to fund other priorities.
๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ
Town planning satisfaction tells the same story.
It rose strongly in the early 2000s, stabilised for a decade, then fell sharply after 2018. By 2025, planning satisfaction sits below 50.
Residents increasingly believe planning decisions are:
๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ-๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง
๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐-๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐
๐๐๐๐-๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐๐ง
๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ
Once planning trust collapses, everything else follows.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ: ๐๐๐๐๐
The single strongest driver of overall satisfaction - consistently, across every era - is whether councils are seen to make decisions in the interest of the community.
This measure has collapsed.
Trust was strong in the mid-2000s. It eroded slowly, then fell off a cliff after 2021. By 2025, it sits below its 2001 level.
This explains:
๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
Councils didnโt lose control because residents became unreasonable.
๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ
Here is the most damning fact.
While satisfaction has gone backwards:
Rates per capita have risen relentlessly
Council staff numbers have exploded
Organisational complexity has ballooned
Residents are paying more than ever - and getting satisfaction levels last seen when councils were lean, simple and far less regulated.
This is not a funding crisis.
๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐๐ญ
Victorian councils are not victims of unrealistic expectations.
They are victims of their own choices.
๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐.๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ.๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ.
And in doing so, they burned through 25 years of trust.
Unless councils return to basics FIRST - roads, planning integrity, genuine consultation and visible value for money - the next 25 years will be worse.
Data Source - https://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/our-programs/council-community-satisfaction-survey
