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 Walgett as a Large Rural council, so it is benchmarked at under 10% for rates outstanding; metropolitan councils are held to under 5%.)
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
- $445 / yearAbout 63% below the NSW council average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $441, vs NSW ~$1,140). A low average residential rate reflects local land values and the council's rating structure, not the level of service. A separate domestic waste charge (~$479 in 2024–25) applies. (OLG time-series data.)
- Operating performance ratio 1.8%Above the >0% benchmark — a small operating surplus on the OLG measure.
- Liquidity & cash
- Unrestricted current ratio 7.04×; debt service cover 17.24×; 13.0 months cash (all pass)All three liquidity and debt measures are well above their benchmarks.
- Self-funding
- Own-source revenue 41.4% (misses)Below the >60% benchmark: most of the council's income comes from grants and contributions rather than rates, fees and charges.
- 15.6% (misses)Above the under-10% benchmark that applies to rural councils.
- Infrastructure
- Backlog 5.2% and renewals 13.8% both miss; asset maintenance 105.8% passes (2023–24)The OLG's 2024–25 time-series shows the backlog easing to 4.8%, renewals rising to 29.5% and asset maintenance at 102.1%. We show both years rather than picking one.
- Where the rate base sits
- Farmland is 845 of 4,850 assessments but ~98% of rateable land valueCouncil's 2026–27 rating structure lists $4.456 billion of farmland land value out of $4.543 billion in total, with total rates income of about $7.07 million (Annual Operational Plan 2026–27, Table 1).
| Indicator (2023–24) | Walgett | Meets? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8% | > 0% | Yes | |
| 41.4% | > 60% | No | |
| 7.04× | > 1.5× | Yes | |
| 17.24× | > 2× | Yes | |
| 15.6% | < 10% | No | |
| 13.0 months | > 3 months | Yes | |
| 5.2% | < 2% | No | |
| 105.8% | > 100% | Yes | |
| 13.8% | > 100% | No |
Walgett'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. Walgett met 5 of the 9 benchmarks in 2023–24. The three misses sit in two areas: self-funding (own-source revenue of 41.4% against a >60% benchmark, so grants carry a large share of income) and infrastructure (a renewals ratio of 13.8% and a backlog of 5.2% in 2023–24, improving to 29.5% and 4.8% in the OLG's 2024–25 file). Rates outstanding of 15.6% is above the under-10% rural benchmark. Council's audited financial statements and annual reports are published in full on its website. 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
- Walgett Shire Council — Annual Reports and Financial Statements · 2024–25
- Walgett Shire Council — Annual Operational Plan 2026–2027 (rating structure, Table 1) · 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.