Council has started issuing final reminder letters through our partner CollectAU for 2025/26 Annual Rates and Charges due on 31 May 2026. Please rectify any outstanding balances promptly or contact Council directly to discuss a payment arrangement or hardship matters.
Published on 24 June 2026
There are currently multiple opportunities for residents to have their say on important matters related to Council and the community’s wellbeing.
Trent Creek Reserve Landscape Plan – input closes 7 July. The project is in two separate parts – possible landscaping works in Trent Creek reserve Trentham and three options to consider full or partial closure of Bath Street to vehicular traffic or no change.
Clunes flood mitigation study - Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority and contracted consultants (Water Technology) are planning to hold two in-person, community consultation sessions on:
Council is also seeking external funding of $6m - $8m to fund works identified in the Creswick Flood mitigation study.
Councillors will continue our work in preparing the 2026/27 budget. Around 30 submissions have been received, and a community meeting will be held on Wednesday 24 June in Daylesford. The budget is due to be adopted in an online meeting on Tuesday 30 June. The draft budget can be viewed on Participate Hepburn.
The community satisfaction survey results are available on our website. In my view the disappointing results over the past year or two strongly indicate the need for Council to focus on its core responsibilities – services and infrastructure critical to the community’s needs – and to deliver those services exceptionally well. Especially mindful of Council’s financial constraints it is critically important that core services are well-resourced in coming budgets.
To finish on a topical observation. The 2021 Australian Census disclosed that 65.5 per cent of Hepburn’s population had non-Australian ancestry, 22.3 per cent were born overseas, 12.6 per cent of households used languages other than English and there is a wide spread of religions across the Shire. I for one count myself fortunate to live in such a diverse community, one that celebrates and respects difference and is far from monocultural.