Bourke Shire Council budget and finances

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 every NSW council reports against the Office of Local Government's benchmarks, plus per-property figures you can compare with the NSW average. The ratios below are from the OLG time-series data for 2023-24, the last fully collected year, with 2024-25 figures shown where the newer file has them. (The OLG classifies Bourke as a Rural council in group 9, so the rates-outstanding benchmark that applies is under 10%; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.) The council publishes its own Long-Term Financial Plan 2025-2035, audited financial statements and quarterly budget reviews — all linked below so you can read the underlying figures yourself.

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.

See the full explainer, with formulas →

The numbers

Benchmarks met (2023-24): 4 of 9Met: operating performance, unrestricted current ratio, debt service cover, cash expense cover. Missed: own-source revenue, rates and charges outstanding, infrastructure backlog, asset maintenance, building and infrastructure renewals. Each is set out with its value and benchmark in the table below.
: $414 / year (2024-25); $404 (2023-24)About 66% below the NSW council average of roughly $1,203 in 2024-25 ($1,140 in 2023-24), and among the lowest in the state. Rate levels reflect land values and a council's rating structure — Bourke's rate base is dominated by farmland, which accounts for about $536 million of the shire's $571.8 million total rateable land value across roughly 1,760 assessments in 2026/2027 — not the quality or quantity of services. A separate domestic waste charge applies (~$283 in 2024-25 per OLG; $347 in 2026/2027 per the council's own fee schedule).
Latest audited year (2024-25): Net operating surplus $0.763 millionDown from an $8.789 million surplus in 2023-24. The 2024/2025 financial statements were audited by the NSW Audit Office and received an unqualified report.
Capital works (2024-25): $6.5m renewing assets plus $7.8m on new assetsOf the renewals, $4.4 million went on roads; of the new assets, $5.1 million on roads and $1.0 million on plant and equipment (NSW Audit Office section of the 2024/2025 Annual Report).
Self-funding: Own-source revenue 34.5% (misses the >60% benchmark)The lowest-scoring of Bourke's nine ratios: about two-thirds of the council's income comes from grants and contributions rather than rates, charges and fees it raises itself.
Liquidity & debt: Unrestricted current ratio 7.36x, debt service cover 6.46x, 16.6 months cash — all passThe NSW Audit Office's three-year charts in the 2024/2025 Annual Report (a general-fund basis, so not directly comparable with the OLG figures) show the unrestricted current ratio at 7.4x in 2024 and 5.9x in 2025, and available cash cover at 12.1 then 13.7 months.
: 14.1% (misses the <10% rural benchmark)The share of rates and annual charges levied that remained uncollected at year end.
Long-term financial plan: Long-Term Financial Plan 2025-2035 (published)The council's own ten-year projections of income, expenditure, cash and ratios — the document to read if you want to judge sustainability for yourself. See the link below.

Bourke		Meets?
2.5%	> 0%	Yes
34.5%	> 60%	No
7.36x	> 1.5x	Yes
6.46x	> 2x	Yes
14.1%	< 10%	No
16.6 months	> 3 months	Yes
2.8% (2024-25: 3.1%)	< 2%	No
88.8% (2024-25: 109.2%)	> 100%	No
37.9% (2024-25: 69.0%)	> 100%	No

Bourke'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: OLG time-series data 2023-24 (2024-25 figures in the notes where published).

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. Bourke met 4 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023-24. The three infrastructure ratios moved in 2024-25 on the OLG's newer file: asset maintenance rose from 88.8% to 109.2% (above benchmark), renewals from 37.9% to 69.0% (still below), and the backlog edged up from 2.8% to 3.1% (still above the under-2% benchmark). We show both years rather than picking one. We present the numbers and their benchmarks; whether that adds up to a sustainable position is for you to judge from the council's own Long-Term Financial Plan, audited statements and quarterly budget reviews below.

Sources — check it yourself

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.