Greater Dandenong Council is tops in Melbourne for community satisfaction, according to a recent survey.
But crime, perceived safety and policing remain a key concern.
The council scored highest for overall satisfaction out of 19 metropolitan councils in its annual Community Satisfaction Survey.
Greater Dandeong’s “very good” score of 7.5 out of 10 was 13 per cent higher than last year.
It was also the equal highest recorded by the survey provider in 25 years.
Respondents in Springvale and Springvale South as well as young adults, senior citizens, females and multilingual households seemed most satisfied.
Dandenong North as well as males, middle aged adults, English-speaking households were among the least content.
Greater Dandenong ranked above the metro average for most categories including customer service, facilities and community services, communication, planning and building, and recreation and culture.
Other “stand-outs” were older people services, arts and cultural events, childrens services, community centres, festivals and its website.
“These results recognise the hard work and dedication of our staff across every department and should be a source of pride for our community,” Greater Dandenong deputy mayor Sophie Tan said.
Public toilets however scored 2 per cent lower than the metro average.
Community safety, policing and crime was raised by nearly a quarter of respondents as a top-three issue.
Perceptions of safety were lower than the metro average, particularly at night.
Reasons included “various types of people”, drugs and alcohol issues, break-ins, violence and anti-social behaviour, perceived lack of policing and lighting issues.
About 59 per cent reported financial stress due to housing costs.
Residents were also concerned by homelessness, traffic management, infrastructure, cleanliness, rates and charges, street lighting and road repairs.
In 2025, Greater Dandenong changed survey providers and abandoned the use of a phone survey to a door-to-door approach of 402 residents.
The other metro councils included Cardinia, Casey, Frankston, Kingston, and Mornington Peninsula.
