We have completed our third report on the outcomes of rate capping in Victoria. It identifies any impacts or trends that might be emerging across the local government sector.
Local Council outcomes report 2023
Overview
Our 2023 report on the outcomes of rate capping in Victoria identifies any impacts or trends that might be emerging across the local government sector
The outcomes report provides information about councils' service, infrastructure and financial outcomes.
You can download information related to your council and view our over-arching report.
The report covers 2016–17 to 2021–22
We have completed three outcomes reports since the introduction of rate capping in the 2016–17 financial year. Our first report was released in 2019 and the second report was released in 2021.
Our latest outcomes report looks at what happened to the local government sector's finances in the first four years of rate capping. This is the period from 2016–17 to 2021–22. The report also looks at changes in the rates and charges paid by Victorian ratepayers during this time.
The report focuses on the local government sector as a whole – that is, all 79 councils in Victoria combined.
We have also prepared fact sheets for each council and each of the five council groups. These fact sheets include graphs and data about revenue, expenditure and financial sustainability.
We have also published the fact sheets in an online dashboard. This is available through the 'Interactive dashboard' tab near the top of this page.
View the 2023 Outcomes report
You can also read our media release about this report
View your local council's fact sheet
Your local council's fact sheet includes information about its revenue, expenditure and finances:
- use the tabs near the top of this page to find your local council.
- download your council's fact sheet and the related council group fact sheet. You can use the group fact sheet to compare your council to a group of similar councils.
- view our reader's guide to council fact sheets. This will help you understand the data and interpret the fact sheets.
View an online version of your council’s fact sheet in the 'Interactive dashboard' tab near the top of this page. You can use this online version to see data for any period between 2014–15 and 2021–22. You can also use it to compare one council’s data against the average for the council group or another council.
You can also download an excel spreadsheet containing the data in all the council fact sheets.
Key findings from our 2023 outcomes report
Annual growth in council rates has slowed
Ratepayers have paid lower rates than they would have done in the absence of rate capping. However, we note that the experience of individual ratepayers varies, as factors outside the rate capping system (such as relative property values and differential rates) continue to determine the annual change in rates for each individual ratepayer.
Waste charges have increased
Ratepayers have paid more in service charges each year, due to changes in the waste market and the introduction of waste charges by some councils.
In general, the financial health of the sector remained sound
While there was a deterioration in the sector’s financial health, in general, it remained sound. Performance of individual councils varied, and some councils may face some difficult decisions to maintain their long-term sustainability as inflation persists.
What happens next
We will continue to monitor the outcomes of rate capping and expect to release our next report in 2025. Our 2025 report will include results from 2022–23 and 2023–24.
We will continue to work with the sector and other government agencies over time to improve the quality and consistency of available data.
Other useful resources
If you'd like more information on rates, you can view:
- your council’s annual report, budget and website
- Local Government Victoria's website
- the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office's interactive dashboard of council financial results
- the Victorian Government’s Local Government Performance Reporting Framework website which gives you consistent information about the performance of local councils across Victoria.
Got a question?
Contact us for more information.
Interactive dashboard
Using the dashboard
In our interactive version of the fact sheet you can find the same information about any council's revenue, expenditure and finances before and after the introduction of rate capping. You can also compare your chosen council directly with any other council, or with the average for the relevant council group.
- Select your council: click or tap on the first field on the screen, and select the council whose details you wish to see. Data from the council will appear in normal (black) font.
- Select comparison (optional): click or tap on the next field, if you want to see another council, or council group, as a comparison. Data from the comparison should appear in pink font.
- Values expressed in: Click or tap on the third field, and choose whether amounts of money should appear as:
- Nominal $ (dollar amounts appear exactly as they were in past years)
- 2021–22 $ (dollar amounts from past years appear in ‘real terms’, adjusted for inflation between then and 2021–22).
- Select year or years: You should see the years we used in our fact sheet analysis, together with relevant commentary. You can choose different years, but the commentary will no longer be relevant and will be cleared.
If you use a desktop or laptop computer, the screen will show an asterisk at any point where you can find more detailed explanation of the data you are viewing. Just pause the mouse or touchpad arrow at that point, and related information from our reader’s guide will pop up on the screen.
On all devices you can hover over a result (or tap and release it) to see the details displayed as clearly as possible.
You can download a copy of the data you’re viewing by clicking the ‘Download’ icon at the bottom of the online fact sheet.
Our reader's guide to council fact sheets (PDF) will help you to understand the detail of the online fact sheets. Please note that the online presentation of the data is not quite the same as in the PDF council and group fact sheets.
Please note
A limitation of the software currently in use means that it limits the time that you can display a given fact sheet online.
If you leave your screen selections untouched and unchanged for longer than 10 minutes, you may find that all the data has reverted to the default values at loading time.
You must have third party cookies enabled to use this dashboard. Third party cookie settings can be found in your browser settings.
View the dashboard
Councils A-F
View all council facts sheets (and related council group fact sheets) from A to F in this tab. View the reader's guide to help you better understand the fact sheets.
A
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Alpine Shire Council | Small shire |
| Ararat Rural City Council | Small shire |
B
C
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Campaspe Shire Council | Large shire |
| Cardinia Shire Council | Interface |
| Casey City Council | Interface |
| Central Goldfields Shire Council | Small shire |
| Colac Otway Shire Council | Large shire |
| Corangamite Shire Council | Large shire |
D
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Greater Dandenong City Council | Metropolitan |
| Darebin City Council | Metropolitan |
E
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| East Gippsland Shire Council | Large shire |
F
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Frankston City Council | Metropolitan |
Councils G to M
View all council facts sheets (and related council group fact sheets) from G to M in this tab. View the reader's guide to help you better understand the fact sheets.
G
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Gannawarra Shire Council | Small shire |
| Greater Geelong City Council | Regional city |
| Glen Eira City Council | Metropolitan |
| Glenelg Shire Council | Large shire |
| Golden Plains Shire Council | Large shire |
H
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Hepburn Shire Council | Small shire |
| Hindmarsh Shire Council | Small shire |
| Hobsons Bay City Council | Metropolitan |
| Horsham Rural City Council | Regional city |
| Hume City Council | Interface |
I
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Indigo Shire Council | Small shire |
K
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Kingston City Council | Metropolitan |
| Knox City Council | Metropolitan |
L
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Latrobe City Council | Regional city |
| Loddon Shire Council | Small shire |
M
Councils N to Z
View all council facts sheets (and related council group fact sheets) from N to Z in this tab. View the reader's guide to help you better understand the fact sheets.
N
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Nillumbik Shire Council | Interface |
| Northern Grampians Shire Council | Small shire |
P
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Port Phillip City Council | Metropolitan |
| Pyrenees Shire Council | Small shire |
Q
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Borough of Queenscliffe | Small shire |
S
T
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Towong Shire Council | Small shire |
W
Y
| Council fact sheet | Related council group fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Yarra City Council | Metropolitan |
| Yarra Ranges Shire Council | Interface |
| Yarriambiack Shire Council | Small shire |