Rating

Under the Local Government Act 2019 (the Act) (Chapter 11), land within a local government area is divided into three basic categories:

• Rateable land
• Conditionally rateable land; and
• Exempt land

Conditionally rateable land is generally either a pastoral lease or mining tenement. Rateable land comprises all land that is not conditionally rateable or exempt.

Click 2025-2026 Gazette Conditionally Rateable Land to view the NT Government Gazette Notice for 2025-26. Click Gazette Notice - Conditional Rates to view the NT Government Gazette Notice for all financial years since 2008.

Click Rate Payer Change of Details Form  to change your details.

Click Rates - Frequently Asked Questions for more details.

Declaration Of Rates And Charges For 2025-26 Financial Year

Please click 2025-26 CDRC Rates Declaration to view a PDF of this document.

Central Desert Regional Council (“Council”) advises that the adopted 2025/26 Council Regional Plan incorporating its 2025/26 Budget is now available from the Council’s public offices or on its website at: www.centraldesert.nt.gov.au. Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 241 of the Local Government Act 2019 (the Act), that the following rates and charges were declared by the Central Desert Regional Council (“Council”) at the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 23 June 2025 pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Act, in respect of the financial year ending 30 June 2026.

A copy of the assessment record is available for inspection, free of charge, at any of the council's public offices. A person may apply to the council for the correction of an entry in the assessment record.

Rating Structure

Pursuant to Section 226(1) of the Act, the basis of rates is;
(c) a combination of a fixed amount and a valuation-based amount.

Pursuant to Section 227 of the Act, the basis of assessed value is the unimproved capital value.
However:
(a) the unimproved value of a mining tenement is its assessed value; and
(b) the unimproved value is taken to be 20 times the annual rental payable under the tenement.

Rates

Pursuant to Section 237 of the Local Government Act 2019 (“Act”), Council declares that it intends to raise, for general purposes by way of rates, the amount of $1,886,978.

1. Residential

In respect of allotments classed as “Residential" in the Council assessment record, a fixed charge of $2321.81 per allotment.

2. Business Commercial

In respect of allotments classed as "Business Commercial" in the Council assessment record, a differential rate of 0.153768% of the unimproved capital value with the minimum amount payable in the application of this rate being $2,437.90 multiplied by:

1. the number of separate parts or units that are adapted for separate occupation or use (pursuant to Section 226(5) of the Act) on each allotment; or
2. the number 1, whichever is the greater.

3. Agriculture Commercial

In respect of allotments classed as "Agriculture Commercial" in the council assessment record, a differential rate of 0.143573% of the unimproved capital value with the minimum amount payable in the application of this rate being $1,138.18 multiplied by:

1. the number of separate parts or units that are adapted for separate occupation or use (pursuant to Section 226(5) of the Act) on each allotment; or
2. the number 1, whichever is the greater.

4. Pastoral leases under the Pastoral Land Act

In respect of allotments of land over which there is a "Pastoral Lease", as defined in Section 3 of the Pastoral Land Act, a rate of 0.000789 of the unimproved capital value with the minimum amount payable in the application of this rate being $970.61

5. Mining tenements

In respect of allotments of land which are subject to "Mining Tenements" as defined in the Local Government Act 2019, a rate of 0.008960 of the assessed value with the minimum amount payable in the application of this rate being $2,297.21
Note:

1. Contiguous mining tenements or reasonably adjacent tenements held by the same person will be rated as if they were a single tenement.
2. If the owner of the mining tenement is also the owner of another interest in the land (the other interest) then:
   1. if the rate calculated in accordance with clauses 1 to 4 for the mining tenement is less than or equal to the rate payable for the other interest – no rate is payable for the mining tenement; or
   2. if the rate calculated in accordance with clauses 1 to 4 for the mining tenement (amount A) is greater than the rate payable for the other interest (amount B) – the rate payable for the mining tenement is the difference between amount A and amount B.

6. Special rate

Pursuant to Section 238 of the Act, the Council declares the Special rate “Animal Management” to assist with implementation of animal management in the area.

The Council intends to raise the amount of $167,378 by way of this special rate.

This rate will be levied on all “Residential” allotments by application of a fixed charge of $238.43 per allotment.

Charges

Pursuant to Section 239 of the Act, Council declares the following charges for the purpose of kerbside garbage collection provided, or which Council is willing and able to provide in Anmatjere, Atitjere, Engawala, Lajamanu, Laramba, Nyirripi, Willowra, Yuelamu and Yuendumu.

Council intends to raise $1,580,731 by these charges.

7. Residential Waste Collection

In respect of allotments classed as "Residential" in the council assessment record, where Council is willing and able to provide the service, a charge of $1,373.95 per bin per annum and additional charge of $686.98 per additional bin requested by the ratepayer.

The service provided is a kerbside collection of the contents of one 240 litre bin per week and access to the Council's waste management facility for the purpose of depositing waste from the residential allotment, regardless of whether the services are used.

8. Business Commercial Waste Collection

In respect of allotments classed as "Business Commercial" in the council assessment record, where council is willing and able to provide the service, a charge of $2,747.89 per bin and additional charge of $1,373.94 per additional bin requested by the ratepayer.

9. Payment

Council has resolved that the payment of rates and charges may be paid by two approximately equal instalments on the following dates:

• first instalment due 30 November 2025; and
• second instalment due 29 March 2026.

Pursuant to Section 244(1) and (2) of the Act

1. If a council allows payment of rates by instalment, it does so on condition that each instalment is paid by the due date.
2. If a ratepayer defaults in payment of an instalment by the due date, all remaining instalments become immediately due and payable.

Pursuant to Section 244(3) of the Act, Council may relieve a ratepayer, or ratepayers generally, from the consequences of default to an extent decided by the council.

1. the date on which any future instalment is due and payable is not affected; and
2. the penalty for late payment, under item 10 below, shall be calculated only on the amount of the outstanding instalment on a daily basis from the date on which the missed instalment became due and payable, until the date payment is made.

The relevant interest rate for the late payment of rates and charges is fixed in accordance with Section 245 of the Act at the rate of 18% per annum.

10. Interest Rate for late payment

The relevant interest rate for the late payment of rates and charges is fixed in accordance with section 245 of the Act at the rate of 18% per annum.

Social and Economic Impacts of Rating Policy

The Council’s current income is derived from four basic sources:

• Income from rates and statutory charges;
• Local Government Operational Grants;
• Grants provided by other Agencies to undertake specific funded programs (such as Aged Care); and
• Contract income which is generated from external entities seeking Council’s services.

In determining the rating regime for this year, the Council has considered a number of factors, including:

• The Council’s statutory and legislative obligations;
• The service level expectations of the communities, residents and ratepayers;
• The funding environment and the overall income from grant and own source income.
• The asset management and asset renewal obligations of the Council;
• The Council’s priorities with regards to local employment and maintenance of community based employment and training opportunities;
• How current and future rating practices will impact on the Council’s financial sustainability;
• How existing services (particularly waste management and animal management) can be funded from existing revenue sources; and
• The impact of the leasing arrangements for Aboriginal owned land on the Council’s budget.

The income received from rates represents just 4.7% of Council’s total income, a small proportion of them are conditionally rateable properties, which Council has no control over. Council has increased the amount it aims to receive from rate revenue by 3.76% for the 2024/2025 financial year on the basis of the effective reduction in revenue from other sources due to minimal CPI increases in grant revenue, balanced with its needs to cover increased costs forecast for the new financial year. It is acknowledged that some individual ratepayers may experience difficulties and may seek consideration of their rates through application under the Rates Hardship policy, available on the Council’s website. However, it is not believed that the small increase will have any significant social or economic impact on ratepayers or on the region.

Council’s rates and the amounts the Council proposes to raise by way of rates, are detailed in the Rating Structure found above.

Council intends to raise, for general purposes by way of rates, the amount of $1,878,660; $167,752 for Animal Management and $1,583,300 for Waste Collection.