It comes after a 59-year-old man faced the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Thursday to plead guilty to sexual assault after an incident at a Daylesford grocery.

The man will not be named as he was not convicted.

The incident occurred on the morning of January 24, when the 59-year-old rubbish collector visited the Daylesford store to collect the bins.

He was met by the woman at the door, who led him to the back of the building to the bins, which had already been collected earlier due to a misunderstanding of scheduling.

The pair talked while the man was in the store, and as the man went to leave he placed his hand on the woman's lower back, moving his hand and inappropriately touching the woman.

The man then told the woman "you are a beautiful woman, I would do anything for you".

The woman told the 59-year-old his behaviour was not okay and told her manager. CCTV footage was given to the police, and the 59-year-old attended the police station on February 1.

The 59-year-old's lawyer told the court the man was married, and had since lost his job as a rubbish collector following a review of the incident.

When talking to the police, the man said he put his hand on the woman's back as a "friendly gesture" and denied any offence.

The lawyer agreed the offence was serious, and said the ensuing "humiliation" the 59-year-old had to face telling his wife and children of the charges had been a "sobering experience".

"In 2024 one can't be conducting themselves in that manner," the lawyer said.

The police prosecutor said no victim impact statement had been given, but that the victim of the assault wished for the man to be held accountable.

"She is no longer working at that grocery store, her main desire out of this matter was to have (the 59-year-old) held responsible for their offending," the police prosecutor said.

"Given the circumstances that have occurred in Ballarat this year, she was particularly vocal in having her story be told."

Such circumstances include the alleged murders of three women, Samantha Murphy on February 6, Rebecca Young on February 16, and 23-year-old Hannah McGuire on April 5.

Magistrate Guillaume Bailin said while the offence lacked the aggravating features found in similar cases, such as use of force or a formal workplace relation, it was still "brazen".

"It is an opportunistic, brief and spontaneous assault by you on someone who has a right to feel safe in their workplace," the magistrate said.

The 59-year-old had no history of prior offending, and had no allegations against him since the incident.

He was placed on a two year good behaviour bond and ordered to make a $2000 donation to charity.

Affected by this story? There is help available.

You can phone the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, in Sebastopol, on 5320 3933, or free-call the crisis care line 24 hours on 1800 806 292.

Or phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380, or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.