The City of Ballarat is seeking to make Ballarat a safer place for everybody - and your input is needed.
A new Safer Ballarat Community Safety Mapping Tool was announced on Wednesday, designed to identify and respond to safety concerns across the municipality.
Launched in conjunction with Community Safety Month, the interactive tool allows residents to report specific safety issues or areas of concern they have identified throughout Ballarat.
There is no limit as to what people can identify, as it is designed to help paint the full picture of where people feel safe or unsafe.
Relevant data collected will be shared with the Ballarat Community Safety Alliance and City of Ballarat teams to support the creation of safer and more welcoming public places across our city.
The safety mapping tool is now live and the community is able to have input via the City of Ballarat MySay page or by filling out a hard copy of the survey.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the new tool would play an integral part in making Ballarat a safer place for everybody.
"We know that community safety is an issue at the front of a lot of people's minds at the moment, we have heard that loud clear from the community," she said.
"We really want the community to buy into this project so we can understand as best as possible where safety issues are within the community.
"All the information gathered will be vital to help us plan for ways that we can contribute to a Safer Ballarat."
The initiative to develop the Safer Ballarat Community Safety Mapping Tool delivers on a key action within the Council Plan 2025-2029 to deliver a community safety mapping platform.
Community safety was also identified as a key theme in developing the Community Vision 2025-2035, which drew on feedback gathered from randomly selected community members earlier in 2025.
The mapping tool will remain open to the community for the foreseeable future, with data to be constantly reviewed and used to shape future decisions, advocacy efforts, and planning.
The delivery of Safer Ballarat follows on from the award-winning Right to The Night projects, which were delivered in 2018 and 2021, which focused on the Ballarat health precinct and CBD safety after hours.
Community input as part of Right to the Night helped achieve meaningful change, including changes to traffic safety, increased lighting and aiding successful funding applications for place-based projects.
What is Community Safety month?
Community Safety Month takes place each October and is a reminder that we all have a role to play in keeping our community safe.
The month was launched at Ballarat Town Hall on Wednesday,1 October in conjunction with the Ballarat Community Safety Alliance.
Some of the key activities as part of the month include:
- Victoria Police Neighbourhood Policing Forum, 6pm-8pm on Wednesday 15 October at the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility.
- Coffee with a Cop at the Ballarat Seniors Festival Community Expo, 11am-1pm on Wednesday 22 October at the Ballarat Showgrounds, Rosehill Drive, Mount Rowan.
Visit the Ballarat Community Directory to learn more about Community Safety Month.
What is the Ballarat Community Safety Alliance?
The Ballarat Community Safety Alliance is administered by the City of Ballarat and is made up of more than 20 local organisations with a shared vision for Ballarat to be a safe, inclusive and respectful community.
The Alliance strives to make Ballarat a place where individuals living, working and visiting the area actively participate in the community without fear or risk of harm.
Safety is more than streetlights and CCTV - it's also about health and wellbeing, engagement, inclusiveness, diversity and feeling comfortable to access all that Ballarat offers.
