Have you been caught for hours in a crowded emergency department? Sick of those unavoidable potholes on a major road? Worried the Ballarat your children will live in may never be the same?
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The next four years could be instrumental in solving some of these major issues facing Ballarat, and this is your chance to have those complaints heard at the top.
When you go to vote in the Victorian election this November, you should do it knowing that the candidates are aware of what our community needs.
That's what The Courier's election survey is aiming to do - making sure candidates hear what's important to you.
Launching today, the survey is in two parts - ranking issues in how important they are to you, and a short set of simple yes or no questions, and you can fill it out below.
We'll keep the survey open until October 14, to get a good cross-section of the community, and then we'll publish the results with detailed local analysis.
Here in Ballarat, one of the most obvious issues we're all facing is growth - the city is sprawling as more people move here, but how do we keep it liveable?
Council is struggling to stay on top of developments, with concerns about roads, schools, hospitals, and green space on the city's outskirts, while traffic snarls - while not at Melbourne's level - get worse.
Combine that with cost of living increases and worsening housing affordability, and it's clear what the challenges will be for the next government.
There's also lingering anger over major transmission line projects, questions over how prepared we'll be for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the perennial state of our roads and inaccessible train station.
The major parties have announced their candidates for the three seats in and around Ballarat: Ripon to the west, Wendouree through the middle, and the newly-renamed Eureka to the east.
The borders have changed since 2018, with Bacchus Marsh replacing Sebastopol in Eureka and booming Lucas and Delacombe suburbs entering Ripon.
Labor has two incumbents - Juliana Addison in Wendouree and Michaela Settle in Eureka - and are running Martha Haylett, a former state government staffer, in Ripon.
Led by Premier Daniel Andrews through the pandemic, Labor has begun work on its half-billion dollar hospital project and is pointing to other big investments, like the Ballarat rail upgrade and metropolitan train build, GovHub, and $60 million in new traffic lights.
For the Liberals, Louise Staley narrowly holds Ripon, with high-profile candidates in Samantha McIntosh in Wendouree and Paul Tatchell in Eureka, both former mayors for the City of Ballarat and Moorabool respectively.
Matthew Guy is once again leading the Liberals to the election, and already the party has made a $278 million commitment to build the Ballarat Link Road, council's number one infrastructure priority.
This week, the Greens announced Ellen Burns as their candidate for Wendouree, with Sam McColl in Eureka and Earl James in Ripon, all with a focus on easing cost of living pressures.
There will be many other candidates announced before nominations close in November, and independents and minor parties are expected to feature prominently.
But before we head to the polls - the state election itself is on Saturday, November 26, but pre-polling opens November 14 - these candidates need to know what matters to us here in Ballarat.
Let us know what you think - complete the survey below and make sure your voice is heard.
Have you tried The Courier's app? It can be downloaded here.
