Welcome

The Victorian Government is committed to the financial sustainability of councils and wants to ensure local government rates are fair and equitable for all of the community.

An independent panel was appointed in 2019 to review all aspects of Victoria’s local government rating system. Their final report was submitted to the Minister for Local Government on 31 March 2020.

The Victorian Government will now consider the report and respond to its findings and any recommendations. In keeping with the practice of Government responses to independent inquiries and reviews, it is anticipated that this will take approximately six months. The Victorian Government intends to publish the panel’s report alongside the Government’s response.

The Review’s Discussion Paper, Consultation Report and the supplementary information (including information on rates in a range of languages, at the Know Your Council website) are all available on this site. Explore the FAQs, Fact Sheets and rating data as well.

You can stay updated by clicking on the 'Follow' button under the heading at the top of the page.

How rates work

PowerPoint Presentation - Public Forums

View the presentation made by the Panel in public forums between August-October 2019
Presentation - Rating Review Public Forums
MS Powerpoint (9.80 MB)

Local Government Submissions to the Rating Review

All submissions made to the Rating Review by local councils have now been published, please see below.
Alpine Shire Submission - Rating Review
PDF (100.19 KB)
Ararat City Council Submission - Rating Review
PDF (3.64 MB)
Baw Baw Shire Council Submission - Rating Review
PDF (99.55 KB)

Organisational Submissions to the Rating Review

Submissions to the Rating Review from organisational stakeholders have been published, please see below. As late submissions are recieved, we will continue to publish these to the website.
Aboriginal Housing Victoria Submission - Rating Review
PDF (288.18 KB)
Affordable Housing Industry Advisory Group Submission - Rating Review
PDF (232.22 KB)
Australian Energy Council Submission - Rating Review
PDF (370.87 KB)

Individual Submissions to the Rating Review

Submissions provided as an attachment to the Submission Form have been published, please see below. (Responses to the Submission Form have also been published to the website). Please note that to protect the privacy of submitters, all personal information (such as names and addresses) has been removed from the submissions. You can check if your submission attachment was received by looking at the Individual Submissions document at the top of the list.
Individual Submissions made to the Rating Review
PDF (51.98 KB)
1. Public Submission - Rating Review
PDF (95.78 KB)
2. Public Submission - Rating Review
PDF (523.77 KB)

Public Online Submission Form Responses

The responses to the public submission form are published below. Please note that written documents attached to the submission form can be found under Individual Submissions or Organisational Submissions above.
Public submission form responses
MS Excel (81.63 KB)

Online Survey Results

The results of the Rating Review "Quick Survey" are published below. The survey has closed.
Rating Review Quick Survey Results
MS Excel (447.38 KB)

Rates and Charges 2013-2019

Please Note: The information in the attached dataset has been compiled from council published Annual Budgets since 2013. It is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, however users should undertake their own verification of this data as required.
Rates and Charges Data 2013-2019
MS Excel (541.63 KB)

Collection Notice

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is committed to protecting personal information provided by you in accordance with the principles of the Victorian privacy laws.

DELWP will use the information collected to inform you of future consultation processes relating to the Rating Review as well as progress updates on the work of the Review Panel. Your contact details may also be used by DELWP to update you on the results of the Review consultation.

We will not disclose your personal information outside of DELWP without your consent, except where required to do so by law.

If you do not wish to provide your personal information we will not be able to inform you of future consultation, or identify your submission if you wish to access it, make a correction or require technical support.

You may contact us to request access to your personal information, or regarding other concerns regarding the privacy of your personal information at rating.review@delwp.vic.gov.au