Buloke Shire (VIC) Council budget and finances

Budget & finances

Every Victorian council reports the same set of financial measures to the state each year, under the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework (LGPRF). The state doesn't set pass marks for these measures. So we show Buloke's figure for 2024–25 next to the median of all Victorian councils. The median is the middle value: half of councils are above it and half below. The median is a point of reference, not a target.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English

Operating result (surplus / deficit): Income minus expenses for the year's normal operations.
Average residential rate: The typical yearly general-rates bill for a home in the area.

See the full explainer, with formulas →

The numbers

Average rate per property (2024–25): $2,140General rates divided by all property assessments (homes, farms, businesses and vacant land). The Victorian median is $1,937. Farming land raises about 73% of Buloke's general rates (Budget 2026–27 §4.1.1(c)).
Adjusted underlying result (2024–25): 2.4% deficitThe operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is a 0.56% surplus.
Loans and borrowings (2024–25): None0.0% of rates; the Victorian median is 13.2%. The 2026–27 budget forecasts no borrowings.
2026–27 budget: $49.8 million capital works programOf which $44.5 million is roads and bridges. $37.9 million of the program depends on outside funding and won't go ahead unless that funding is secured. The budget forecasts a $33.6 million surplus and an $8.4 million underlying deficit; the council says the gap reflects one-off funding to rebuild flood-damaged roads.
Municipal Monitor: Appointed May–December 2024; recommendations being implementedThe Minister for Local Government appointed a Municipal Monitor to the council in May 2024, until 31 December 2024. The Monitor's final report was released in February 2025. The council reports to the Minister twice a year on its implementation plan. It says the 2026–27 budget was prepared on a cash-neutral basis, as directed by the Minister after the Monitor's report.Monitor's report and terms →

Measure (2024–25)	Buloke	Victorian median
	-2.4%	0.56%
Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity)	4.40×	2.17×
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash)	0.38×	0.26×
Loans and borrowings ÷ rates	0.0%	13.2%
Loan repayments ÷ rates	0.0%	1.4%
Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue	16.7%	16.7%
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation	84.1%	94.9%
Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates)	44.4%	57.8%
Rates ÷ property values	0.30%	0.28%
Expenses per property assessment	$5,547	$4,100
Average rate per property assessment	$2,140	$1,937

Buloke Shire Council, LGPRF financial measures, 2024–25, next to the median of the 79 Victorian councils reporting each measure. Source: Local Government Victoria, LGPRF 2020–2025 Full Council Data Set (Nov 2025 release), CC BY 4.0. The median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation.

The LGPRF has no official benchmarks, and Local Government Victoria says its data shouldn't be used for simplistic league tables. So we don't mark any figure as a pass or a fail, and we don't rank councils. The Victorian median is CouncilBeacon's own calculation, taken across the Victorian councils that report each measure in the 2024–25 data set. A figure above or below the median isn't good or bad in itself. Councils differ in size, assets and services; Buloke is in the LGPRF's 'Small Shire' group. The 2025–26 figures are due in about November 2026; the council adopted its 2025–26 financial statements in principle on 16 September 2026, ahead of the Auditor-General's sign-off.

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.