14/07/2026
Local residents have been blindsided after the Goldfields Police Service Area's “Eyewatch” page suddenly announced that public access to the town's police station would be slashed.
The news comes despite Premier Jacinta Allan repeatedly telling Victorians that her government is recruiting more police and strengthening frontline services.
There was no meaningful warning, no apparent community consultation, and no explanation about who actually made the decision.
Locals simply woke up on Friday morning to a Facebook post informing them that access to one of Maryborough's most important public services would be reduced from Tuesday, July 28.
The Maryborough Police Station reception will only operate between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
It will be completely closed on Tuesdays and Sundays, and Victoria Police has warned the reception may occasionally shut even during those already limited opening hours.
So, in reality, Maryborough will have a police station operating five days a week during what are barely office hours, with no guarantee the doors will even remain open throughout those times.
That is a shocking and disgraceful reduction in an essential public service, particularly while crime and community safety remain major concerns across the Goldfields, and indeed regional Victoria.
The “Eyewatch” page says the changes will allow the station to provide an “increased patrol response to the community” by redirecting officers to frontline duties.
But why are regional communities suddenly expected to choose between officers looking out for broken tail lights and having a police station they can actually walk into.
How difficult should it be to keep one person available at the reception desk of a major regional station? People don't just visit a police station during a life-threatening emergency.
They report crimes, provide statements, hand in lost property, report missing people, discuss intervention orders, seek advice about family violence, provide CCTV footage, report suspicious behaviour, obtain documents, follow up existing cases and ask for help when they don't know where else to turn.
Many people are elderly, vulnerable, hearing impaired, uncomfortable using computers, lack reliable internet or simply need the reassurance of speaking to a police officer face-to-face.
A telephone number and a website are not always an adequate replacement for a physical police station.
The residents of Maryborough and surrounds pay taxes, council rates, registration fees, levies, fines and charges just like everyone else. Aren't functioning police stations and accessible public services precisely what all that money is supposed to pay for?
Victorians are being taxed from every conceivable direction, yet basic services continue to be reduced, centralised, outsourced, moved online or placed behind a call centre.
Meanwhile, the Allan Labor Government's own budget forecasts Victoria's net debt climbing towards $200 billion by 2029-30.
With Victoria's debt heading towards $200 billion and taxpayers paying more than ever, many will reasonably ask why regional communities are now being told they can't even rely on their local police station being open.
Where exactly is all the money going?
Premier Jacinta Allan continually talks about hiring more police, yet the practical experience for Central Goldfields residents is fewer opening days, shorter public access and no certainty that somebody will even be available during the advertised hours.
If police numbers are supposedly increasing, why are police station doors closing?
Instead, Victoria Police is directing residents to call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or lodge reports online.
What many people may not realise is that the Police Assistance Line and Victoria Police's online reporting service are operated by Serco, a highly controversial multinational corporation.
As face-to-face access to local police stations is reduced, more Victorians are effectively being redirected to a privately operated call centre.
Serco has operated prisons, immigration detention centres, correctional facilities, defence contracts, healthcare services and government call centres, while overseas it has also managed parking enforcement and fine administration.
And while Victoria Police hasn't been privatised outright, large and important parts of the service have effectively been outsourced.
Regional communities should not be losing access to their local police station while being told to deal with a multinational contractor instead.
Adding insult to injury, the Goldfields Police Service Area's Eyewatch page has removed critical comments from beneath its announcement before switching off commenting altogether.
The only comment left standing praised police as “legends” and described the decision as “good management of your resources.” Apparently praise was allowed to remain, while concerns were wiped away.
Residents had no warning before the decision, no say in making it, and were then denied the opportunity to publicly question it afterwards. To many, that is an appalling way to treat a community.
The announcement didn't explain who authorised the changes, whether the station is understaffed, how many additional patrol hours would actually be created or whether the reductions are temporary or permanent.
The community was simply handed a finished decision and expected to applaud.
Castlemaine Police Station will also have its reception reduced to five days a week, operating from 9.30 am until 4.30 pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Its reception will close completely on Thursdays and Saturdays, with police again warning it could also shut during advertised opening hours.
Public confidence in Victoria Police has already been severely damaged among many Victorians.
Critics increasingly view the force as focused on fines and revenue raising, while memories remain raw from the COVID years when police enforced Premier Daniel Andrews' lockdowns, travel restrictions and mask rules.
Many believed police had become the enforcement arm of the Victorian Labor Government rather than an independent service working alongside the public.
Whether people agree with that criticism or not, closing station doors, outsourcing public contact and deleting negative feedback will do absolutely nothing to rebuild trust.
Maryborough isn't asking for luxury. Residents are simply asking for something they once took for granted – a police station they can reliably walk into when they need help.
After paying record taxes while Victoria's debt heads towards $200 billion, that should not be too much to ask.
