Golden Plains 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 Golden Plains' 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): $2,052General rates and the municipal charge divided by all property assessments (homes, farms and businesses). The Victorian median is $1,937.
Adjusted underlying result (2024–25): 0.52% surplusThe operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is a 0.56% surplus.
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation (2024–25): 172.9%Spending on renewing and upgrading assets, compared with how fast they wear out. The Victorian median is 94.9%.
2026–27 budget: $62 million, including a $14.6 million capital works programAdopted at the council meeting of 26 May 2026. The council lists $61.4 million to deliver more than 70 services, an operating surplus of $1.9 million and an adjusted underlying deficit of $6.7 million, and $2.3 million of wind farm income (Mount Mercer, Berrybank and Golden Plains wind farms). In October 2025 the council adopted a revised 2025/26 budget that, among other changes, set up a $2 million overdraft facility for short-term cash flow.Budget 2026/27 →

Measure (2024–25)	Golden Plains	Victorian median
	0.52%	0.56%
Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity)	0.99×	2.17×
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash)	−0.11×	0.26×
Loans and borrowings ÷ rates	21.9%	13.2%
Loan repayments ÷ rates	5.8%	1.4%
Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue	25.1%	16.7%
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation	172.9%	94.9%
Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates)	54.8%	57.8%
Rates ÷ property values	0.26%	0.28%
Expenses per property assessment	$4,539	$4,100
Average rate per property assessment	$2,052	$1,937

Golden Plains 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, and the council's annual report explains its own results. Golden Plains is in the LGPRF's 'Large Shire' group. The 2025–26 figures are due in about November 2026. The revised 2025/26 budget details come from the council's budget page as archived in December 2025.

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.