Council & Business
31 July, 2026
Streetlight plan in spotlight
Central Goldfields Shire Council adopted the Public Lighting Strategy at their July council meeting.
Safety concerns caused by inadequate street lighting in the Central Goldfields Shire may take a decade to fix, according to a recent report.
Central Goldfields Shire Council adopted the Public Lighting Strategy at their July council meeting.
The adopted strategy aims to deliver public lighting safely, transparently and in-line with community expectations while recognising the shire’s long-term financial constraints.
It prioritises maintaining and renewing their existing 1324 streetlights rather than expanding the network unsustainably.
However, community submissions on the strategy revealed the shire’s current lighting levels are viewed as inadequate.
Respondents identified the need for improved lighting coverage, consistency, and brightness.
Poor lighting was linked to road safety concerns, specifically visibility of pedestrians, and lower perceptions of personal safety.
Women were also disproportionately impacted compared to other genders.
They were the majority of respondents, 26 out of 38, reporting they felt unsafe more often and more consistently.
However, while council said they recognised these concerns, their response was “constrained by financial capacity and competing infrastructure priorities”.
Their strategy aims to balance these financial pressures against safety, expanding the network over ten years based off township size.
Maryborough will see a minimum of one lamp added to every second pole as well as on at least one pole at each intersection.
Smaller towns, such as Bealiba and Talbot, will receive a minimum of one lamp on every third pole with one added to each intersection.
To meet these lighting levels the strategy predicts it will cost $440,000 increasing current maintenance costs by $3261 annually.
Priority will be given to Dunolly and Carisbrook because the percentage of lighting which meets the goal is significantly lower than Maryborough and Talbot.
Bealiba already meets the target.
Long-term, council’s report said they hope to add street lighting on all existing power poles in urban areas.
This is expected to cost $7.35 million doubling the existing annual maintenance costs to over $100,000.
In either scenario, council are reliant on external funding to provide additional street lighting.
“Through disciplined budgeting and strong advocacy, council is restoring true long term financial sustainability while balancing continued support to the community,” the strategy read.
Furthermore, while best practice is a streetlight every 40 metres in urban areas, this is unlikely to be achieved throughout the shire.
They would need an additional 2655 light poles which council could not provide a reliable cost estimate for due to the scale of the works.
However, according to the strategy, this may be achieved in new subdivisions through planning permit conditions.
Council officers are expected to continue incorporating public lighting improvements into capital works and grant applications, progressing toward the service levels outlined in the document.
A separate strategy for sporting grounds is also being developed by council in partnership with Sport and Recreation Victoria.
The Sports Ground Lighting Strategy will help attract external funding for sports ground lighting infrastructure.