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 that every NSW council reports against the Office of Local Government's benchmarks, plus per-property figures you can compare to the NSW average. The ratios below are from the NSW Government's 'Your Council' / OLG time-series data for 2023–24. (The OLG classifies Gwydir as a Large Rural council, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.) Two rows need reading carefully rather than at a glance, and both are explained under the table: the asset maintenance ratio and the buildings-and-infrastructure renewals ratio.
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.
The numbers
- $825 / yearAbout 31% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $799, vs NSW ~$1,140). A low average residential rate mainly reflects local land values and the council's rating structure — in Gwydir 80% of the general rate yield is budgeted to come from the Farmland category and 16% from Residential — and is not a measure of service levels either way. Separate charges apply for waste, water, sewer and stormwater. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio −0.9%Just below the >0% benchmark — close to breaking even, but a deficit. In 2024–25 the audited accounts show total income of $59.6M and a net operating result of +$7.9M, which becomes −$11.3M once grants and contributions for capital purposes are excluded.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 3.14×, debt service cover 5.61×, 9.7 months cash — all passAll three liquidity and debt measures are comfortably above their benchmarks (>1.5×, >2× and >3 months).
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 44.2% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark: like most small rural NSW councils, Gwydir draws a majority of its income from grants and contributions rather than rates, charges and fees.
- 100.0% against a benchmark of "greater than 100%"Not a shortfall. The audited Report on Infrastructure Assets shows actual asset maintenance of $12.034M against required asset maintenance of $12.034M for 2024–25 — the council spent exactly what it assessed as required, so the ratio lands precisely on the threshold. Because the benchmark is strictly greater than 100%, it is scored 'No' in the table below, but nothing is under-spent. The same 100.0% figure is reported for 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25.
- Renewals — a large year-on-year movement
- 70.8% (2023–24) → 14.9% (2024–25)Both are published, audited figures: asset renewals of $1.535M against depreciation, amortisation and impairment of $10.267M in 2024–25. The benchmark is >100%. We show both years rather than averaging them or picking one; neither the council's Annual Report 2024–25 nor its published planning documents give a reason for the movement, and we do not speculate about one. The comparable 2022–23 figure was 44.5%.
- 1.01%Passes the <2% benchmark, as it did in 2023–24 (0.39%) and 2022–23 (0.32%). The estimated cost to bring assets to a satisfactory standard was $6.369M against a net carrying amount of $631.7M.
- 7.4%Below the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
| Indicator (2023–24) | Gwydir | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| −0.9% | > 0% | No | |
| 44.2% | > 60% | No | |
| 3.14× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 5.61× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 7.4% | < 10% | Yes | |
| 9.7 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 0.4% | < 2% | Yes | |
| 100.0% — exactly on the line, not below it | > 100% | No | |
| 70.8% (2024–25: 14.9%) | > 100% | No |
Gwydir'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: NSW Government 'Your Council' / OLG time-series data, 2023–24.
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. Gwydir met 5 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. Two rows deserve a plain-English gloss. The asset maintenance ratio is 100.0% — exactly the threshold, not below it: the audited statements record actual maintenance of $12.034M against required maintenance of $12.034M, so the 'No' is an artefact of a benchmark written as strictly greater than 100%, and the same figure appears in 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25. The buildings-and-infrastructure renewals ratio moved a long way between years — 44.5% in 2022–23, 70.8% in 2023–24 and 14.9% in 2024–25 — and we publish both recent years, labelled, rather than averaging them or choosing the flattering one; the council's Annual Report does not explain the movement, so neither do we. Liquidity, cash cover and debt service cover are all well clear of their benchmarks, while own-source revenue is well below, which is common for small rural councils that depend heavily on grants. We present the numbers and their benchmarks; whether that's good value is for you to judge from the sources below.
Sources — check it yourself
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (all NSW councils, benchmark ratios) · 2023–24
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2024–25 (infrastructure ratios update) · 2024–25
- Gwydir Shire Council — Annual Financial Statements 2025 (Report on infrastructure assets, pp. 7–8) · 30 Jun 2025
- Gwydir Shire Council — Annual Report 2024–25 · 2024–25
- Gwydir Shire Council — Statement of Revenue Policy 2026/2027 · 2026–27
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.