VIC · Great South Coast — Corangamite (Camperdown, Cobden, Terang) · Local council, made simple
Corangamite Shire Council
About 15,700 people live in Corangamite Shire in south-west Victoria — Camperdown, Cobden, Terang, Timboon, Port Campbell, Skipton and smaller towns, across 4,400 km² from the Twelve Apostles coast north to Skipton. Seven councillors are elected, one for each ward, and they choose the Mayor each year. The council runs your bins, local roads, parks, libraries and planning, and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, then the things that affect your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate cap, how your bill is worked out, due dates and help paying.
2026–27: average general rate and municipal charge +2.75% (state cap)
Open →Budget & financesThe council's standard financial measures, each next to the Victorian median.
Average rate per property: $2,335 (Vic median $1,937), 2024–25
Open →Crime & safetyOffences recorded in the Shire by Victoria Police, next to the Victorian rate.
Offences recorded, year to June 2026
Open →Mayor & councillorsYour seven ward councillors, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and how they are chosen.
Mayor: Cr Kate Makin (re-elected Nov 2025)
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, how the Shire votes, and the 2024 result.
Next election: Sat 28 Oct 2028 (by post)
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council and report a problem.
Phone: 03 5593 7100
Open →Area profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is, which towns it covers.
Population: 15,712 (2025)
Open →What's happening
5 updatesRecent items from Corangamite Shire Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Waste
Free Waste Wise Event Trailer available for summer events
The council's free Waste Wise Event Trailer holds up to 12 bins, with bin covers and flags, for community events. Organisers pay only standard waste disposal fees; the trailer is collected from and returned to the Naroghid landfill.
What this means for you: The towing vehicle needs at least 2,000 kg towing capacity and the event must have public liability insurance. The council suggests booking early for summer.
Source: Corangamite Shire Council — Save time cleaning up after your event with Waste Wise Trailer
- Policy
Council calls for backpackers to be added to visa priority list
The council welcomed the Federal Government's addition of agriculture to its priority processing for skilled visas, and asked for working holiday makers to be added too. It said proposed caps on second- and third-year working holiday visas would restrict seasonal workforces for farms and tourism businesses.
What this means for you: This is the council's advocacy position on a federal policy; the visa settings are decided by the Federal Government.
Source: Corangamite Shire Council — Council calls for rethink on backpacker worker caps
- Policy
Mayor and CEO take Shire priorities to Canberra
Mayor Kate Makin and CEO David Rae met a federal minister, Opposition representatives, the Member for Wannon and advisers to three other ministers. The council says it raised infrastructure, council funding, connectivity, housing and childcare, the Theatre Royal and Camperdown Production Precinct, agricultural freight roads and workforce and visa pressures.
What this means for you: The council says follow-up actions include future grant rounds; any funding outcomes would be announced separately.
Source: Corangamite Shire Council — Mayor, CEO champion Shire interests in Canberra
- Policy
2026–27 Budget adopted
Councillors adopted the 2026–27 Budget on 30 June 2026, with a $19.05 million capital works program — including $9.95 million for roads and $2.0 million for the Naroghid landfill — within the 2.75% rate cap, and no new borrowing.
What this means for you: The waste management charge for households with kerbside collection is $480 a year. Rates can be paid in four instalments from the end of September.
Source: Corangamite Shire Council — Council adopts 2026-2027 Budget
- Council meeting
Cr Kate Makin re-elected Mayor, Cr Laurie Hickey Deputy Mayor
At the November Council Meeting on 25 November 2025 the councillors re-elected Cr Kate Makin as Mayor for a third consecutive term and Cr Laurie Hickey as Deputy Mayor for a third term, both until November 2026.
What this means for you: Victorian mayors are elected by the councillors, not by voters. The November 2026 Council Meeting is on 24 November.
Source: Corangamite Shire Council — Corangamite Shire confirms leadership team
Email alerts aren't switched on yet
We haven't started sending email, so we're not taking addresses for now. New items from Corangamite Shire Councilshow up under “What's happening” above as we find them, each linked to its official source.