Rates allow councils to fund the services that help local communities run smoothly. These include sporting and recreation services, environmental planning and protection, public health, and waste services. For more information please select a link below or contact Council on (07) 4658 4111.

General Rates

Rate notices were issued on 8 September 2023. The discount period expires on Monday 9 October 2023 at 5pm.

Failure to pay in full by the due date results in the accrual of penalty interest. 

General Rates are calculated on the unimproved value of land - provided by the Department of Natural Resources, Mines, and Energy. General Rates fall under the attached categories.

Rating Category Statement 2023-2024 

Revenue Statement 2023-2024

Online payments now available - pay your rates online here!

Ratepayers who are facing genuine financial hardship may apply for a payment plan to spread their payments. 

Discounts will not be available to customers who take out a payment plan – they are only available if the total account is paid by the due date. 

If you wish to pay via installments or make an application for a payment plan, please complete one of the forms below and email it to rates@longreach.qld.gov.au.  

Application to pay by installments

Application for a financial hardship plan

If you need assistance to complete your application, please contact our Rates team who will only be too happy to assist.  They can be contacted on (07) 4658 4111 or in person at our Longreach Main Office.

Rights & Responsibilities

Your land has been identified by the Longreach Regional Council as being in the category as stated on the front of your rate notice. You have the right to object to this categorisation of the land by written notice to the Council Chief Executive Officer within 30 days of the issue of the rate notice. The sole basis on which you (the owner) may object is that the land should have been included in another category as at the date of issue of the rate notice. The lodgement of an objection does not, in the meantime, affect the levy and recovery of rates. Should your objection be upheld and the category amended then an adjustment will be made. For the current differential rate please see Council's Budget document.

Pensioner Rate Subsidy Scheme

Eligible Pensioner Concession Card holders receive assistance in the payment of their rates and charges via a Council rebate on their principal place of residence only. This remission is in addition to the State Government Pensioner Rate Subsidy Scheme. For details on the amount of the Council remission please see Council's Current Adopted Budget.

Eligibility for these rebates is determined by the criteria for eligibility set for the State Government Pensioner Rate Subsidy Scheme. For further information please visit http://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/

Sewerage Charges

An annual charge is levied on all premises in the towns of Longreach, Ilfracombe & Isisford where Council provides a sewerage service.  In the case of land not connected to Council's Sewerage network but are able to be connected, a vacant sewerage charge is applied to contribute towards the cost of the infrastructure.

River Water Charges

A water charge is levied entitling the consumer to use a specified amount with any usage above this being paid for at a rate per kilolitre (kl). In the case of land not connected to the Council's water supply but capable of being connected, a vacant water charge is applied to contribute toward the cost of the water supply infrastructure.  For further details, refer to the Revenue Statement, which can be found in Council's Current Adopted Budget.

Excess River Water

For each parcel or lot of land to which water is supplied (other than bulk water) and measured by meter, a charge shall be levied per kl or part thereof for that quantity of water used or estimated to be used in excess of the allocation for the first 500 kl in excess AND for each kl in excess of 500 kl.

The quantity of water used may, when a meter fails or registers inaccurately, be estimated by the Director of Infrastructure Services using the use for the same quarter of the previous year or an average of the previous year and having regard for climatic conditions.

Meter Reading and Charges

Meters are read and usage billed as follows:

Connections for properties not on a bulk water supply billing arrangement:

• Read annually end of June. 
• Excess Water charges for usage above the annual allocation allowance are issued annually in August each year.

Connections for properties on a bulk water supply billing arrangement:

• Read quarterly during the months of March, June, September and December
• Charges for actual usage are issued quarterly in January, April, July, and October each year.

Handling of Complaints about water meter readings

Customers querying their water meter readings may request a check of the meter. This will be undertaken a cost of $178.20.

Customers querying the accuracy of the meter servicing their property must pay the water meter test fee as prescribed by Council at the time of requesting such a test.

In the event that an examination of the meter reveals any evidence of tampering or deliberate damage no amendments will be made to charges, no refund of the test fee provided and the replacement of the meter will be at the property owner's cost.
In the event that the water meter test conducted by Council shows that the property's meter is recording consumption over the test period of 5% or more over the test meter readings, Council will replace the meter at Council's cost, refund the meter test fee and proportionally adjust the consumption charges for the last billing period in accordance with the level of error being recorded.

Bulk Water Charges

The Council has decided for certain properties that instead of allocating a number of units it will charge in bulk (quarterly) for all water supplied and measured by meter. This charge shall be in lieu of the unit based charge for river water. See Council's Budget (Above) document for a list of properties that are supplied with bulk water and the current charge.

Rubbish Collection and Disposal Charges

An annual charge to cover the cost of collection and disposal of refuse is levied on all premises in the towns of Longreach, Ilfracombe, Isisford and Yaraka.

A minimum service of one single weekly 240 litre cart (wheelie-bin) service shall apply to every occupied business and occupied residence within the declared refuse area. A minimum service of one twice weekly 240 litre cart service shall apply to every occupied business premise whose activities involve the preparation or sale of foodstuffs.

Charges for refuse services will commence when premises are considered occupiable and after the delivery of the 240 litre bin to the premises by Council.