Greater Dandenong (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 Greater Dandenong'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): $2,123General rates plus any municipal charge, divided by all property assessments (homes and businesses). Greater Dandenong has no municipal charge. The Victorian median is $1,937.
Loans and borrowings (2024–25): 27.4% of ratesThe Victorian median is 13.2%. The 2026–27 budget plans to borrow $38.9 million during the year, mainly for Oasis Aquatics and Wellbeing, taking borrowings from a forecast $65.5 million at 30 June 2026 to $99.2 million at 30 June 2027. It says no further borrowings are assumed beyond committed projects.
Adjusted underlying result (2024–25): 3.8% surplusThe operating result without capital grants and contributions, as a share of that revenue. The Victorian median is 0.56%. The 2026–27 budget forecasts an operating surplus of $7.0 million, and says the adjusted underlying result shows deficits across all years of its forecast.
2026–27 capital works: $105.5 millionIncludes $55.0m for Oasis Aquatics and Wellbeing, $10.4m for road renewal, $3.6m for the glass bin program, $3.4m for works at the Dandenong Market, $3.0m for Dandenong New Art and $1.6m for security and CCTV (adopted budget, 15 June 2026). Funding sources other than rates include $38.9m of borrowings, $14.6m of grants and contributions and $13.1m from reserves.

Measure (2024–25)	Greater Dandenong	Victorian median
	3.8%	0.56%
Current assets ÷ current liabilities (short-term liquidity)	2.29×	2.17×
Unrestricted cash ÷ current liabilities (free cash)	−0.29×	0.26×
Loans and borrowings ÷ rates	27.4%	13.2%
Loan repayments ÷ rates	3.7%	1.4%
Non-current liabilities ÷ own-source revenue	22.6%	16.7%
Asset renewal and upgrade ÷ depreciation	67.0%	94.9%
Rates ÷ adjusted underlying revenue (reliance on rates)	65.9%	57.8%
Rates ÷ property values	0.26%	0.28%
Expenses per property assessment	$3,712	$4,100
Average rate per property assessment	$2,123	$1,937

Greater Dandenong City 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. The unrestricted cash figure is negative as reported in the LGPRF data set. The 2025–26 figures are due in about November 2026.

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.