Budget & finances
Comparing raw dollar totals between councils isn't very useful — bigger councils naturally have bigger numbers. What does tell you about a council's financial health are normalised indicators: the standard ratios that every NSW council reports against the Office of Local Government's benchmarks, plus per-property figures you can compare to the NSW average. The ratios below are from the NSW Government's 'Your Council' / OLG time-series data for 2023–24. (The OLG classifies Balranald as a Rural council in group 9, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.) Scale is worth keeping in mind while reading them: the council's 2026–27 Revenue Policy shows a total rating base of 1,518 assessments raising about $4.2 million in ordinary rates.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Operating performance ratio
- Whether everyday income covers everyday running costs.
- Own-source operating revenue ratio
- How much of the council's income it raises itself vs. grants from other governments.
- Unrestricted current ratio
- Whether the council has enough spare cash to pay its short-term bills.
- Debt service cover ratio
- How comfortably operating cash covers the council's loan repayments.
- Rates & annual charges outstanding ratio
- The share of rates bills that haven't been paid by year-end.
- Cash expense cover ratio
- How many months the council could keep paying bills if income stopped.
- Infrastructure backlog ratio
- The cost of fixing run-down assets, as a share of what those assets are worth.
- Asset maintenance ratio
- Whether the council actually spends what it should on maintaining its assets.
- Building & infrastructure renewals ratio
- Whether assets are being renewed as fast as they wear out.
- Operating result (surplus / deficit)
- Income minus expenses for the year's normal operations.
- OLG benchmark
- The healthy target set by the state for each financial ratio.
- Average residential rate
- The typical yearly general-rates bill for a home in the area.
- Office of Local Government (OLG)
- The NSW body overseeing councils; publishes the financial data.
The numbers
- $476 / yearAbout 58% below the NSW council average of ~$1,140 that year; the 2024–25 figure is $531 against a NSW average of ~$1,203. Rate levels reflect land values and the council's rating structure, not the level of service — and Balranald's rating base is dominated by farmland, which raised $2.07M of the $4.2M total in 2026–27 against $0.56M from residential. A separate domestic waste charge applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio 1.1%Above the >0% benchmark — a small operating surplus.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 16.51×, debt service cover 21.89×, 20.9 months cash — all passAll three liquidity and debt measures are well above their benchmarks (>1.5×, >2× and >3 months respectively).
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 39.4% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark, meaning most of the council's income comes from grants and contributions rather than its own rates, fees and charges. The council has publicly advocated to state and federal governments about grant funding for small remote councils — see Priorities & direction.
- Infrastructure
- Asset maintenance 180.7% passes; backlog 2.9% and renewals 98.0% both miss (2023–24)The renewals ratio sits just under its >100% line, and the backlog just over its <2% line. The OLG's 2024–25 file shows backlog easing slightly to 2.8%, asset maintenance rising to 205.2% and renewals rising to 220.0%.
- 5.1%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Balranald | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 39.4% | > 60% | No | |
| 16.51× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 21.89× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 5.1% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 20.9 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 2.9% | < 2% | No | |
| 180.7% | > 100% | Yes | |
| 98.0% | > 100% | No |
Balranald's financial-health indicators, 2023–24, against the NSW Office of Local Government benchmarks. 'Meets?' simply states whether the figure is on the benchmark side of the line. Source: NSW Government 'Your Council' / OLG time-series data, 2023–24.
These ratios are the standard, size-independent way to read a council's finances, which is why we use them instead of raw dollar totals. Balranald met 6 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. Two of the three misses are narrow — renewals at 98.0% against a >100% line, and the infrastructure backlog at 2.9% against a <2% line — and both moved onto the benchmark side or further improved in the OLG's 2024–25 figures (renewals 220.0%, backlog 2.8%, asset maintenance 205.2%). The third, own-source revenue at 39.4%, reflects a council with about 1,518 rateable assessments and 21,690 km² of country to maintain, so grants make up the larger share of income; the council's Long Term Financial Plan 2025–2035 discusses long-term sustainability and does not rule out future special rate variations. We present the numbers and their benchmarks; whether that's good value is for you to judge from the sources below.
Sources — check it yourself
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (all NSW councils, benchmark ratios) · 2023–24
- Your Council (NSW Government) — Balranald · 2023–24
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2024–25 (infrastructure ratios update) · 2024–25
- Balranald Shire Council — Revenue Policy 2026–27 (rating base, categories and yields) · 2026–27
- Balranald Shire Council — Long Term Financial Plan 2025–2035 · Jun 2025
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.