A big thank you to Solar Citizens for partnering with us to bring this event on 16 April to our community. And an equally big thank you to all our panellists who shared their experience and knowledge about the progress of Australia’s renewable energy transition – warts and all. Their thoughtful comments provided insights into working with families, communities and EVERYONE to bring the energy transition to ALL our urban rooftops – fighting climate change and the cost of living at the same time. Bring on the wins!
Want help navigating the 2023 SEQ Regional Plan? Curious about the future for rooftop solar? Interested to learn about the history of regional open space planning (or lack thereof) in Queensland? Or simply want to know what organasitions in your area are up to in the run up to local and State elections? Then have a read of SEQCA’s latest newsletter- and feel free to provide us with your feedback… happy reading.
Can we compare local council rates and charges across southeast Queensland?
Yes, we can, and we should do this to hold local councils accountable to their communities.
Across southeast Queensland the rates and charges (including water) paid by a typical homeowner can exceed $4,000 per year making this a hefty chunk of each household budget.
With local government elections on 16 March, voters can now assess which local council areas are the most expensive to live in – and which councils offer “more for less”.
The chart below shows our assessment of what typical homeowners are currently paying in rates and charges (including water) in 11 southeast Queensland local government areas.
Homeowners are hit with a complex bundle of rates and charges including general rates, various council charges, charges for water and sewerage and some charges which are set by the State Government but levied by local councils.
To get as close as possible to an apples-with-apples comparison of what homeowners pay in local government rates and charges (including water and sewerage) there’s a lot of detail to be considered.
General rates
Local councils impose general rates on property owners based on land values which are determined and published by the State Government’s Valuer-General.
The Valuer-General publishes median values for all residential land in each local government area. The median value is the value that sits in the middle of a range with as many properties valued above it as below it. Median values are used in property market analysis (instead of average values) because median values are not distorted by a small number of very high value properties.
Our comparison of the rates and charges in each local government area uses the respective median residential land values across each local government area as the starting point for comparing general rates. This a property value that is reasonably typical and middling for each local government area.
The valuer general does not update property values in each local government area every year. In 2024 the local councils to get new property values will be: Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Redland, Somerset and Sunshine Coast. Reports by the Valuer General are published on the State Government website.
An alternative approach to comparing median values would be to use the minimum general rates imposed by each local council. But this would be biased to the lower end of the property market in each local government area. And some Councils impose their minimum general rate on a greater proportion of properties than other councils.
To smooth out the effects of large changes in official land values, some local councils levy general rates on the average of land values over multiple years. We use these averaging multipliers if they apply.
Because we are primarily interested in what homeowners have to pay, we select the rate category for property owners who live at their property. Many local councils charge a different general rate for properties that are not occupied by the owner(s).
Other Council charges
As well as general rates local councils invariably impose additional charges or levies on ratepayers.
Typically these other council charges are described as being for purposes such as environmental management, heritage protection or community services. The ratio of other charges to general rates varies from council to council. Logan City and Scenic Rim have the highest reliance on other council charges.
Waste management – bins and dumps
Collection of general waste weekly in a red-topped wheelie bin and waste for recycling fortnightly in a yellow-topped wheelie bin is a standard level of service across southeast Queensland. For the purpose of comparison, we standardize on use of a 240-litre general waste bin and a 240-litre recycling bin (yellow lid) in each local government area.
Alternative bin sizes at different price points may be available from some local councils.
Some local councils also offer the option of collecting green and organic waste in a third green-topped bin. Because this is not yet available in all parts of southeast Queensland and is optional in most local government areas, we have not included green bin charges in our comparison for now.
Some local councils also provide their residents with free access to a local tip, dump or waste and recycling centre. Sometimes this is done by issue of vouchers that entitle local residents a certain number of waste disposal visits.
Water services and sewerage
Some local councils (Redland, Logan and Gold Coast) provide water supply and waste water services. The other councils have water services provided by a utility company which they jointly control together with other councils:
UnityWater is owned jointly by Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa Councils;
Queensland Urban Utilities is owned jointly by Brisbane, Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer councils.
Some water service charges are imposed on a flat rate per day basis and other charges vary according to the volume of water used. For comparison across local government areas, we assume that each property uses 180 kilolitres (kL) per year. This figure is cited by Gold Coast City Council in its budget documents as a basis for year-on-year comparisons.
Discounts for early payment
Most local councils in southeast Queensland offer discounts for prompt payment of rates. These discounts (usually only applying to general rates and maybe some specific charges) are taken into account when comparing rates and charges in the various local government areas because we assume that most homeowners are sensible and pay their bills on time if a discount is available.
Redland, Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast councils do not offer their ratepayers the financial benefit of any early payment discounts.
Pensioner discounts
Some local councils offer concessions for people who can demonstrate that they are full or part pensioners. The generosity of these concessions varies from council to council. We don’t consider pensioner discounts in our general comparison of rates and charges. But if you are a pensioner you should check out how generous your local council is compared with other councils.
State Government bulk water charge
Water service bills include a bulk water charge controlled by the State Government which is a variable charge per kL. Since 2020/21, this charge has been standard across the various local government areas connected to the south east Queensland water grid.
Emergency Management Levy
Local council rates bills include another charge controlled by the State Government which is the Emergency Services Levy. This levy is the same in most urban areas but a lower rate applies in smaller semi-rural communities e.g. Scenic Rim and Somerset.
Where’s the data?
Local councils adopt their budgets for each financial year at meetings held in June or July.
Resolutions adopted at these council meetings are included in meeting minutes published by each council. Councils also publish their annual budget documents on their websites.
Budget resolutions and budget documents include details of a council’s rates, rating policies and additional charges.
The Valuer General publishes reports on property valuations for local government areas including median property values. Historical reports are available on the Valuer General’s website.
Water utilities Unity Water and Queensland Urban Utilities (which are owned cooperatively by local councils) publish charges for water and sewerage services on their websites.
Bulk water charges imposed by SEQ Water (and ultimately approved by the State Government) are subject to regulatory oversight by the Queensland Competition Authority.
After several years of adjustments to equalize water charges, they have been standard across all local government areas connected to the SEQ Water grid since 20/21.
The Emergency Management Levy Amounts are included in regulations tabled by the State Government in State Parliament showing the applicable amounts for different categories of local government area. Residents of shires which are less well served with fire and emergency services pay less than residents of more urbanized local government areas.
If you want to save the world, enjoy lower electricity bills or see a fairer transition to renewable energy across our country, then get in on the action and start asking some big questions of our decision-makers who set the policy parameters within which AEMO operates …. see further
The Annual General Meeting of SEQ Community Alliance Association Inc. (SEQCA) will be held on Tuesday 21st November 2023
Time: 9:30 am
Venue: Community Meeting Room, Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street, Brisbane, QLD
AGENDA
The business to be conducted at the Meeting is as follows: –
1. Opening of Meeting
2. Attendance, Apologies and Proxies
3. Confirmation of Minutes of the Inaugural Meeting of the Association held on 15 November 2022.
4. Chair’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. General Business
Representatives from our Member Groups are cordially invited to attend the AGM. If you are unable to attend, please nominate a proxy by completing the attached Proxy Form and return to:
