logo
Kwinana calls for 4.5 per cent rate rise

Kwinana calls for 4.5 per cent rate rise

Perth Now06-05-2025

City of Kwinana ratepayers are facing a 4.5 per cent rates rise in the next financial year.
Mayor Peter Feasey said cost-of-living increases continued to affect everyone, including local governments.
'We know families are doing it tough, and we're focused on operational efficiency and financial responsibility,' he said.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
'The rising cost of living is affecting everyone. Inflationary pressures, including continual increases in the Consumer Price Index and the Local Government Cost Index, have created financial challenges for councils across the State.'
If the proposed rise goes ahead, the rates bill for an average household would jump about $73 — or $1.42 per week, as the City of Kwinana puts it.
'Our priority is to strike the right balance — keeping rate increases as low as possible while still delivering the core services and maintaining the service levels our community expects,' Mr Feasey said.
A three-week opportunity to provide online feedback to the City of Kwinana is underway, finishing May 23.
'Every comment we receive helps inform the complex decisions behind how rates are applied to individual properties,' Mr Feasey said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Minimum wage gets first hike in four years
Minimum wage gets first hike in four years

Perth Now

time4 days ago

  • Perth Now

Minimum wage gets first hike in four years

The country's lowest paid workers will receive a 3.5 per cent annual pay rise, the first official hike in four years. The wage hike applies to the national minimum wage and all modern award minimum wages effective from 1 July this year and takes the national minimum wage from 24.10 per hour, or $915.90 per week to $24.94 and $947.85 respectively. In committing to the increase, Fair Work Commissioner Justice Adam Harper said it recognised that those on the lowest award had not seen an official rise in three years, as the Commission had deferred decisions in an inflationary environment. Because of that deferral real wages for those on the lowest band had declined by 4.5 percentage points relative to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, the Commission said. 'The result has been that living standards for employees dependent on modern award wages have been squeezed and the low paid have experienced greater difficulty in meeting their everyday needs,' Justice Harper said. 'We are concerned that if this opportunity is not taken in this annual wage review, the loss in the real value of wages which has occurred will become permanently embedded in the modern award system and the national minimum wage and a reduction of living standards for the lowest paid in the community will thereby be entrenched.' More to come

Minimum wage to rise 3.5 per cent: Fair Work Commission
Minimum wage to rise 3.5 per cent: Fair Work Commission

West Australian

time4 days ago

  • West Australian

Minimum wage to rise 3.5 per cent: Fair Work Commission

The country's lowest paid workers will receive a 3.5 per cent annual pay rise, the first official hike in four years. The wage hike applies to the national minimum wage and all modern award minimum wages effective from 1 July this year and takes the national minimum wage from 24.10 per hour, or $915.90 per week to $24.94 and $947.85 respectively. In committing to the increase, Fair Work Commissioner Justice Adam Harper said the increase recognised that those on the lowest award had not seen an official increase in three years, as the Commission had deferred rises in an inflationary environment. Because of that deferral real wages for those on the lowest band had declined by 4.5 percentage points relative to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, the Commission said. 'The result has been that living standards for employees dependent on modern award wages have been squeezed and the low paid have experienced greater difficulty in meeting their everyday needs,' Justice Harper said. 'We are concerned that if this opportunity is not taken in this annual wage review, the loss in the real value of wages which has occurred will become permanently embedded in the modern award system and the national minimum wage and a reduction of living standards for the lowest paid in the community will thereby be entrenched.' More to come

Town of Port Hedland set to slug ratepayers an extra 8 per cent on minimum residential rates for 2025-26
Town of Port Hedland set to slug ratepayers an extra 8 per cent on minimum residential rates for 2025-26

West Australian

time5 days ago

  • West Australian

Town of Port Hedland set to slug ratepayers an extra 8 per cent on minimum residential rates for 2025-26

Residents are again set to be hit in the hip pocket as the the Town of Port Hedland puts next year's rates out for public consultation, with the average residential bill set to be $2481, with a minimum of $1404. The rate in the dollar amount for 2025-26 is actually proposed to reduce for all categories except unimproved mining and pastoral land, to account for Landgate's valuer-general revised valuations, which have seen large increases across the board. The rate in the dollar for residential properties for next year is proposed to sit at 4.72¢, down from 6.7¢, but giving a clearer picture of the actual hip-pocket cost, the minimum residential bill would sit at $1404, up 8 per cent, from $1300 this year. To calculate a property's council rates bill, the rate in the dollar amount — set by the local authority — is multiplied by the property's valuation amount (gross rental value, or GRV) — set by the valuer-general. If the figure falls below the minimum rates level, you will pay the minimum charge. As a result, while the rate has technically reduced, the overall effect still leaves ratepayers slugged a larger amount to help fill a 6.84 per cent increase in the local authority's operational expenditure for the next financial year. For comparison, the Consumer Price Index rose by 2.4 per cent in the 12 months to April 2025. The budget increase includes an extra $1.3 million for 'regulatory and new IT staff', $1.5m for the 'building cleaning contract', $1.4m for the 'public open space cleaning contract', just under half a million for a 'security contract' and nearly $230,000 in added insurance costs. Offsetting those rises slightly, however, is more than $800,000 predicted to be wiped off as a result of a decrease in 'established (staff) positions, vacancy rates'. In proposing the new rates model, council officers noted residential values had been particularly hard-hit by the new valuations. 'The new triennial revaluation of properties received from the valuer-general has seen a significant increase in residential valuations, moreso than other categories,' they told the council within the May 20 special council meeting agenda. 'The rate in the dollar charge has been adjusted accordingly to maintain as near to the current apportionment of the burden of rating across all differential categories. The new minimum rates charge for commercial, pastoral and mass accommodation plots is proposed to be $1900, an increase of $100 a year, representing a 5.26 per cent rise on the 2024-25 amount. Minimum 'mining' rates remain at the 2024-25 level — $250. But the rate in the dollar figure for mining has actually increased, by just over 5 per cent. The pastoral rate in the dollar follows just behind with a 4.5 per cent rise. The proposed rates motion was carried unanimously at the council's May 20 special meeting. Also agreed within the motion was the maintenance of the pensioner rate cap gap program, but with the financial support limited to a maximum of $200.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store