A local government’s revenue comprises all sources of money that contribute to its operating budget. Local governments in Western Australia generate revenue from rates, fees and charges for services, and grants from the State and Commonwealth governments. In some cases, local governments also receive funding through property-developer contributions and sales of assets and property.
DATA SOURCE: Local government Annual Financial Report
$63,402,689 2020/2021
Local governments are permitted to set aside money to be used for designated purposes in a future financial year. Reserve accounts may be created for future asset upgrades or replacements, employee costs, specific projects or a number of other initiatives.
DATA SOURCE: Local government Annual Financial Report
Under the Local Government Act 1995, councils must vote to accept an annual budget that sets out the local government’s spending priorities. A local government’s annual budget is informed by its Strategic Community Plan which is developed with the community. Engaging with the community enables a local government to be responsive to community needs and ensures that expenditure and prioritisation of public funds is in line with community expectations. The Local Government (Financial Management) Regulations 1996 specify 11 broad program areas that local governments are to use when reporting expenditure. These program areas are defined below.
DATA SOURCE: Western Australian Local Government Grants Commission
$71,241,971 2020/2021
Activities that support local government’s decision-making processes. Includes elected member fees, allowances and administrative support, as well as costs incurred assisting elected members and ratepayers on matters which do not relate to specific council services.
Activities to collect revenue to allow for the provision of services. Includes costs incurred in collecting rates, government grants and other revenue.
Activities to provide services to help ensure a safer community. Includes fire prevention, animal control and other law, order and public safety initiatives.
Activities to provide services to achieve community and environmental health. Includes maternal and infant health, immunisation, pest control and support for general public health initiatives.
Activities to provide services to children, youth, seniors and disadvantaged persons. Includes pre-school and other education services, child minding facilities, playgroups, senior citizens’ centres, meals on wheels and home care services.
Activities to provide and maintain staff housing and support for housing programs.
Activities to provide services required by the community. Includes rubbish collection and disposal services, litter control, stormwater drainage, environmental protection, public conveniences, cemeteries and town planning schemes.
Activities to provide services and facilities that support the social wellbeing of the community. Includes public halls, civic centres, aquatic and recreation centres, sporting facilities, beaches, parks, gardens, playgrounds, libraries, museums and other cultural facilities.
Activities to provide transport services to the community. Includes construction and maintenance of local roads, footpaths, cycleways, parking facilities, aerodromes and water transport facilities, and lighting for roads.
Activities to help promote economic and business development. Includes tourism promotion and services, caravan parks and building controls.
Activities to monitor and control the local government’s assets. Includes private works operation, plant repair, operation costs and engineering costs.
Local governments are required to report their expenditure by nature and type. Expenditure is classified into five categories defined in the Western Australian Local Government Accounting Manual.
DATA SOURCE: Western Australian Local Government Grants Commission
The depreciation calculated on all classes of assets.
All costs associated with the employment of people including salaries and wages, allowances, benefits and training.
Materials and contracts are expenses related to materials purchased by a local government and contracts for services.
The combination of interest on expenditure, insurance expense, other expenses, and expenditure allocated to capital works.
Expenses related to gas, electricity and water use.
Rates are a tax on property levied by local governments to fund the shortfall between their planned expenditure and all other income they receive, including from local government grants. The Local Government Act 1995 and the Valuation of Land Act 1978 prescribe the methods for assessing the rateable value of property and the types of rates which can be levied. Each local government determines a rate in the dollar which is multiplied by the assigned value of the property. Rate revenue includes general rates, differential rates, specific area rates, minimum rates, interim rates, back rates, ex-gratia rates - less discounts offered. This does not include administration fees, interest on instalments, and interest on arrears or service charges. This graph shows the total growth in local government rate revenue for the local government selected. For more information about your rates contact your local government.
Note: Average rating data is not currently provided due to the dataset being incomplete. To provide this information now would not provide an accurate result.
3.70% 2020/2021
Under the Local Government (Audit) Regulations 1996, local governments must complete an annual audit of their compliance with the Act and Regulations. Local governments are required to adopt and publish the Compliance Audit Return within their council’s minutes.
DATA SOURCE: Local government Compliance Audit Return
Councillors, including Mayors and Shire Presidents, receive meeting fees and may receive allowances or have certain council-related expenses reimbursed. The Local Government Act 1995 describes the types of fees, allowances and reimbursable expenses that council members are entitled to claim. The Salaries and Allowances Tribunal sets council member meeting fees and allowances payable. The Local Government (Financial Management) Regulations 1996 requires that local governments report the fees, allowances and reimbursed expenses paid to council members. This table shows the remuneration paid to council as a whole by payment type. This amount does not include interstate and overseas travel paid for by local government or third-parties undertaken on council business.
DATA SOURCE: Local government Annual Financial ReportIncreasing the gender diversity of councils is a key objective to ensuring that local governments are more representative and reflect the diverse communities they serve. This graph shows a breakdown of publicly elected candidates by gender at each ordinary local government election. This graph excludes vacancies that were filled for a partial term.
DATA SOURCE: Department of Local Government Elections DatabaseWestern Australian local governments provide a range of waste and recycling services to their residents. Reported below are waste and recycling services that are provided directly to households, which include kerbside bin collections and vergeside collections for bulky and garden wastes. Recovery rates for each service type show the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected through the service for the selected year. Recovery rates depend on a range of factors including the degree to which waste is separated at the household (e.g. the number of bins) and the capacity and efficiency of the recycling facilities where recyclable materials are delivered. Recovery rates are compared to the recovery targets for municipal solid waste (MSW) for the Perth and Peel regions and major regional centres which are set out in the Western Australian Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified.
Western Australian local governments provide a range of waste and recycling services to their residents. Reported below are waste and recycling services that are provided directly to households, which include kerbside bin collections and vergeside collections for bulky items. The quantity of domestic waste collected by each local government is dependent on factors such as the number and types of dwellings and the socioeconomic characteristics of the local government area.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified.
The Western Australian Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 (waste strategy) includes targets for waste avoidance to reduce the amount of waste generated in Western Australia. Waste Strategy targets are set as a reduction in waste generation per capita from 2014/2015 of 5 and 10 per cent by 2025 and 2030 respectively. Reported below is the amount of waste generated per capita for kerbside bin collections and vergeside collections for bulky and garden waste. Reductions in waste avoidance depend on sustained behaviour change by all stakeholders. This is supported through education and incentives to increase awareness of waste avoidance and to support waste avoidance behaviours.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Population numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Persons, Band C.
Western Australian local governments provide a range of waste and recycling services to their residents. Reported below are waste and recycling services that are provided directly to households, which include kerbside bin collections and vergeside collections for bulky items. The quantity of waste collected from households is dependent on factors such as the types of dwellings and the socioeconomic characteristics of the local government area. The average quantity of waste collected by each service type will also depend on the mix of waste and recycling services provided to households. Recovery rates for each service type in the table view show the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected through the service for the selected year. Recovery rates depend on a range of factors including the degree to which waste is separated at premises (e.g. the number of bins) and the capacity and efficiency of the recycling facilities where recyclable materials are delivered.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Household numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Household forecasts, Band C.
Kerbside services are containerised, regular services where waste or recycling are collected from the kerb in front of premises. Typical kerbside services can include a red topped bin for mixed waste (garbage) for disposal, a yellow topped bin for dry mixed recyclables and a lime green topped bin for garden organics and/or food waste. Kerbside recovery rates in the table view show the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected. Kerbside recovery rates depend on a number of factors including the degree to which waste is separated at the household (e.g. the number of bins) and the capacity and efficiency of the recycling facilities where recyclable materials are delivered.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Household numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Household forecasts, Band C.
Kerbside garden organics or food organics and garden organics (FOGO) services are containerised, regular services where organic waste, such as leaves, grass cuttings and small pruning waste are collected separately from general waste. If the council provides a FOGO service then food organics (food waste) is also put in this bin. These waste types are generally collected for the purpose of producing organic products such as mulch, compost and soil improvers. Typically the container is a “wheelie bin†with a lime green lid and is provided for collection from the kerb in front of the household. The garden organics or FOGO recovery rate in the table view shows the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected. The recovery rate depends on the degree to which waste is separated correctly at the household, contamination and the capacity and efficiency of the recycling facilities where recyclable materials are delivered.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Household numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Household forecasts, Band C.
Kerbside co-mingled recycling services are containerised, regular services where dry recyclables, such as bottles, cans, paper, cardboard and some plastics are collected separately from mixed garbage for the purposes of recycling. A yellow topped bin is typically provided for dry mixed recyclables. Co-mingled recycling recovery rates in the table view show the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected. Recovery rates are dependent on a range of factors including how well the waste has been separated by the residents and the capacity and efficiency of the recycling facilities where recyclable materials are delivered.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Household numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Household forecasts, Band C.
Vergeside bulk garden organics collections are intermittent or on-demand collection services for garden organic wastes and are typically non-containerised. Recovery rates show the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Household numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Household forecasts, Band C.
Vergeside bulk waste collections are intermittent or on-demand collection services for bulky household items such as furniture, mattresses and whitegoods. They are typically non-containerised collection services but it is increasingly common for local governments to provide a bulk bin where the service is provided on-demand. The data also include specific product waste collections e.g. mattresses only. Recovery rates show the percentage of materials recovered from the total amount of waste collected.
DATA SOURCE: Data are voluntarily reported by local governments to the annual Census of Western Australian Local Government Waste and Recycling Services. The accuracy of the reported data is not independently verified. Household numbers were obtained from Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Report No. 8, Household forecasts, Band C.