Your rates notice explained

This image below is designed to give you an overview of things you might see on your rates notice.

Some items, such as raw water connection, green waste or strata fees for example, will not be available to all properties so won’t appear on your bill.

You can also download a PDF copy for clearer viewing:

Rates notice overview


If you have any questions about your rates notice you can touch base with our Rates Team on 1300 087 004.

Some key items explained:

Landfill Rehabilitation Charge

This charged was introduced in the 2024/2025 year.

By law, we are required to undertake the rehabilitation of unused landfills to ensure environmental protection. Rehabilitation exercises are quite expensive and can cost between $500,000 to $1million per site. Currently we have several sites under this category.

The trigger to undertake said works is based on risk assessments and the results of ongoing monitoring (we have bores around old landfills to monitor ground water quality), which in itself incurs operational costs.

Accounting standards (enforced by the Auditor General) also require us to build up a Landfill Rehabilitation Reserve, so that we have funds to cover the required works.

Funds raised through the landfill rehabilitation charge will go directly to shore up this reserve, it will not be used for anything else.

 

Waste Charge - Vacant/No Bin:

This is a waste charge that is levied on vacant properties (i.e. nothing constructed) and constructed properties that do not have a bin.

The vacant / serviced charge has been in place since amalgamation (and prior to that at both former Wakool and Murray), however wasn’t on your bill in the 2023/2024 year due to a technical issue. It has now been reintroduced as a line item on your bill.

This charge is not just confined to Waste: Water (both Raw and Filtered) and Sewer all have a vacant/no connection charge, which is a lower than the charges levied for a connected/serviced property.

 

 

 

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