Australia's $2.4 Billion Rates Crisis: Where Does Your Council Rank?

Unpaid council rates have hit $2.4 billion nationally, growing faster than the rates base itself. Dailius Wilson and Vanessa Hood break down the state-by-state data, the five fixes that are working, and where your council ranks against 507 others.

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What you will learn

8.3% of all rates are now unpaid nationally

Against a target benchmark of 4 to 5%, and the gap is widening rather than holding steady.

Regional councils are being hit harder than metro

Arrears growth in regional areas is running at 12.5%, well above the metro rate, a counterintuitive finding from the report.

Five practical fixes are already working

From bill smoothing to uniting the notice and the payment, councils like Whitehorse and Greater Dandenong are proving arrears growth is not inevitable.

Don't have time to watch the video?

8 mins

Four economic forces are set to push council rates arrears higher in 2026, and what your council can do about each one before it hits.

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Get the summary

About the Speaker

Dailius Wilson is Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Economist at Payble, and has tracked council arrears across Australia for five years. Vanessa Hood is Payble's Payment Experience Lead, working directly with councils on their collections strategy.

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Australia's $2.4 Billion Rates Crisis: Where Does Your Council Rank?

Unpaid council rates have hit $2.4 billion nationally, growing faster than the rates base itself. Dailius Wilson and Vanessa Hood break down the state-by-state data, the five fixes that are working, and where your council ranks against 507 others.

‍

‍

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