Payment of Rates

Discount (s 130 Local Government Regulation 2012)

Discount at the rate of ten (10) percent will be allowed on gross Council rates and charges, excluding any charge specifically excluded from discount entitlement, provided payment of the full amount outstanding, including any overdue rates and interest to the date of payment, less any discount entitlement, is paid by the due date on original notice of the levy. 

Charges excluded from discount entitlement include:

• Rural Fire Levy
• Emergency Services Levy
• North West Emu Park Sewerage Benefited Area Special Charge
• Causeway Township Sewerage Benefited Area Special Charge
• Mulambin Sewerage Benefited Area Special Charge
• Muskers Beach Revetment Wall – Special Charge
• Water Consumption Charges
• Natural Environment Separate Charge
• Road Network Separate Charge
• Disaster Response Separate Charge

Making and Levying of Rates

In accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 2009 and the Local Government Regulation 2012. The categories identifiers of rateable land within the boundaries of the Livingstone Shire Council area have been determined by Council and are set out in the Differential General Rates Information. Land use codes supplied by the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy are used to assist in determining the rating categories.

General Rate

This is determined using the property‘s rating category (refer to table) which reflects the principal use of the land, in conjunction with the rateable value of the property.

Special Rates and Charges

Special rates and charges are sometimes levied by Council to fund services or facilities that will especially benefit the owners of properties in a specific area. These are charged for a set number of years and revenue raised from these rates will only be used to fund the implementation program for the specific services, facilities or activities specified.*

Water Access

Water Access refers to the provision of water to a property. It also covers the cost of maintenance and operation of the water system including the water treatment plant and infrastructure.

Sewerage Charge

The charge of sewerage is set to recover all of the costs associated with the provision of sewerage reticulation services provided by Council.

Waste and Recycling Charge

Domestic charge is based on the number of bins at the property. Commercial levy is charged per bin per collection. Rural Fire Levy This is a special charge that Council collects on behalf of rural fire brigades to fund their services, facilities and activities.*

Road Network Charge

The annual road network charge is levied in order to defray part of the cost of maintaining the road network within the region. This charge is levied equally to all rateable properties, including vacant land.*

Natural Environmental Charge

This annual charge is used to defray part of the cost of formulating and implementing initiatives for environmental protection, enhancement and conservation. This charge is levied equally to all rateable properties, including vacant land.*

Disaster Response Charge

Assists in the support of the State Emergency Services including ongoing cost of maintenance of facilities and emergency equipment (vital for our volunteers to assist in the community), provide mitigation strategies based on hazards and risks from disasters in the Livingstone Shire area, as well as provide funding to recover from disaster events that impact our Shire. This charge will be levied equally on all rateable land within the Livingstone Shire Council Area.*

State Government Emergency Management Levy

A compulsory charge collected by Council on behalf of the State Government to fund emergency services and to help support and rebuild communities devastated by emergencies such as floods, cyclones, fires and accidents. The levy applies to each individual lot except where lots are used as a bona-fide primary producing land. As at 1 July 2021, some properties changed from a Class C to a Class B levy, to ensure an equitable contribution is made by all landowners receiving the fire and emergency services benefits.*

Objections

Owners of rateable land have the right to object to the category that their land is included in, on the grounds that the rating category is wrong in reference to the local government‘s descriptions in the rating categories. All objections must be lodged on the approved form, which can be found on our website or obtained from Customer Support, within 30 days of the Rates Notice date of issue. Rates must still be paid by the due date until the notice of objection is assessed. Adjustments will be applied if an objection is successful.

*Discount in accordance with Section 130 of the Local Government Regulation 2012 will not apply to this charge.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot pay this notice by the due date, please contact our Customer Service Centre to avoid recovery action and associated costs. 

You can also visit the MoneySmart website for more information or access Financial Councillors, or the Australian Government Services Australia website which has a variety of financial information, services and tools available.

You can now register to receive your rates and water notices by email.

If you would like to receive your notices electronically, please click here to register for eNotices.

To de-register from this service or change your email address you can use the same link and select “Cancel email delivery”. 
To register or de-register you will need a recent rates notice to enter some security information for verification purposes and the original email address it was registered to.

Checking your current outstanding rates or water balance is easy.

All you need to do is follow the steps below:

1. Open our online system and register. To register, please use this link Livingstone Shire Council Rates Account Registration System. 
2. Enter your reference number. Your reference number can be found on your rates notice as illustrated below.
3. Your rates balance will now be displayed.

You can then proceed to making making a payment if you wish.

How to find your reference number

Your reference number can be found on the top right of the rate notice: