Practical budget strengthens community and invests in future
Published on 21 July 2026
Gladstone Regional Council has adopted a $441.3M Budget and Operational Plan for 2026/27 that strengthens our community and invests in the future while avoiding any new debt.
Gladstone Region Mayor Matt Burnett said this is a practical budget that delivers where it counts now, with the services and infrastructure our region relies on every day, and reflects the challenging economic conditions facing households, businesses and Council.
“We recognise that many households and businesses are feeling the impact of rising costs, and Council is facing the same pressures,” Mayor Burnett said.
“This budget manages our own rising costs across construction, maintenance, materials and service delivery to make sure Council can continue to provide quality services and infrastructure for our community.
“Before finalising this budget, we carefully reviewed our spending, identified efficiencies and considered our options to help minimise the impact on ratepayers.”
Another key decision in this year’s budget is the introduction of a land valuation averaging model to calculate rates.
Mayor Burnett said this is good news for ratepayers following strong land valuation notices issued earlier this year by the Queensland Valuer-General.
“Valuation averaging helps smooth the impact of significant valuation increases by using the average of the previous three years’ valuations,” he said.
“While the way rates are calculated will vary between properties, this decision demonstrates Council’s commitment to minimising this impact on ratepayers.
“Council has been able to keep general rate increases to a minimum, with the average residential rate rising by 0.47 per cent.
“This means the average residential property will contribute an additional 17 cents per week to support road maintenance, waste management, parks, community facilities and investment in local infrastructure.”
IMAGE: (L to R) Cr Glenn Churchill, Cr Michelle Wagner, Cr Mellissa Holzheimer, Cr Natalia Muszkat, Mayor Matt Burnett, Cr Karen Davis, Cr Leanne Patrick, Cr Chris Cameron and Cr Simon McClintock.
The average residential ratepayer with water and wastewater services, a residential bin service (including Garden Organics for selected areas) will see an overall rate increase of 4.84 per cent.
Meanwhile, commercial and light industrial properties will see a general rate increase of 4.5 per cent and major industrial properties will see a 7 per cent increase.
Council has also commenced its new Garden Organics (GO) kerbside bin collection service.
To support this rollout, Council secured $1.57M in Queensland Government funding to cover the cost of the new bins, support education initiatives and future bin harmonisation activities.
“Over the first year, this service is expected to divert more than 2000 tonnes of green waste from landfill,” Mayor Burnett said.
“We’ve already diverted a considerable amount of green waste from landfill since the service commenced at the beginning of the month.
“Continuing this process saves on the costs of operating, constructing and maintaining landfills as a result of the Waste Levy, which is essentially a Bin Tax introduced by the Queensland Government.
“This bin tax applies to every tonne of waste received at Benaraby Landfill, so by diverting green waste away from landfill and turning it into a reusable product such as mulch, we reduce costs for our ratepayers.”
This year, Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) has passed on an annual water security charge to all users of the Lake Awoonga Water Scheme to fund the ongoing operation and construction costs of the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline.
“Council has strongly advocated against this charge and maintains that our ratepayers should not be left with the burden of that cost,” Mayor Burnett said.
“We are grateful to receive $10M in Queensland Government assistance towards the $13.2M bulk water security charge introduced by GAWB.
“This funding will help ease the financial impact of the new charge and will be used to offset costs for residential ratepayers and small businesses with a residential connection.
“Without offsetting this water security charge, the cost would have been more than $400 for ratepayers with a residential connection, however it has now been reduced to $71.81 this financial year.
"While this assistance from the Queensland Government is welcome, at this stage it is a one-off payment, and we will continue to advocate for a fair, long-term solution for ratepayers.”
Mayor Burnett said that Council has deliberately kept this year’s surplus to just $48,000 to help keep rates, fees and charges as low as possible for ratepayers.
“We take our financial responsibility seriously, and, once again, I am proud to declare that for a 14th consecutive year – and my 11th as Mayor – that we have no new borrowings,” he said.
“This approach will see interest bearing debt decline to $67.6M by June 2027, a reduction of $6.7M.”
Council’s $441.3M budget includes a $142.8M Capital Works program, supported by $37.56M in Queensland and Australian Government funding, bringing the total amount of external funding received to $60.7M.
The 2026/27 Capital expenditure of $142.8M includes (but not limited to):
- $36.6M on upgrades to water and wastewater (sewerage) infrastructure
- $30.6M on capital roads and drainage projects
- $23.4M in sport and recreation projects
- $17.6M on footpath and cycle upgrades
- $11.1M on waste handling and disposal projects
- $3.9M on bridge replacements and upgrades.
An increased investment in sport and recreation projects includes infrastructure to support the sporting aspirations of young people, particularly ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
“These funds will deliver a 50m pool at Boyne Island and a design for the Harvey Road Sports and Events Precinct,” Mayor Burnett said.
“Additionally, as part of our Community Investment Program, we have also topped up the Gladstone District Sports Foundation Trust by $50,000.
“This trust is separate to Council and was established by former Gladstone City Mayor Col Brown in 1987 to assist the region's best athletes to meet the costs of competing in high-level competition.”
Council’s ongoing commitment to supporting its valued pensioners has been increased with eligible pensioners now receiving a concession of up to $350 per annum, a rise of $30 in this year’s budget.
“This boost for our pensioners will help to ease cost-of-living pressures and represents a total investment of $1.3M,” Mayor Burnett said.
“Ratepayers who have recently become eligible for the pension, or who have not previously applied, are encouraged to contact Council to become eligible, while existing recipients will have the increased concession automatically applied.”
Visit www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/budget to learn more about Council’s 2026/27 Operational Plan and Budget.