A free report on Australian council financial data

This free report is a worked example of reading a messy public dataset honestly — including what it refuses to claim.

Australia has 537 local councils spending roughly $48 billion a year and managing about $643 billion in assets (figures: Australian Local Government Association).

Tender services tell you what is out to tender now; demographics providers cover population and housing, not the council's own finances; state portals are single-state and built for residents. This dataset ranks each council against comparable councils on the financial measures its state publishes.

284 councils scored on financial sustainability from state statutory sources (VIC LGPRF 2024-25, NSW OLG 2023-24, QLD Comparative Information 2024-25), peer-grouped, with the method published at /methodology. National coverage means financial sustainability, because finance is the one dimension all three states publish properly.

Queensland publishes no community-services or amenity measures. We score only what is actually published — no estimates, no interpolation.

What this data cannot tell you

Scores rank councils against comparable peers. They do not establish whether any council can fund a given contract.

A rural council scoring 73 and a metro council scoring 73 sit at the same position within different reference sets.

Every peer group centres near the 50th percentile by construction, so these scores cannot be read as absolute measures of financial health.

Queensland publishes no community services or lifestyle measures and receives no overall score.

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Frequently asked questions

What data is included?

Financial sustainability scores for all 284 councils across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, from each state's statutory reporting, peer-grouped for like-for-like comparison.

Which states are covered?

Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. National coverage means financial sustainability — only Victoria publishes the full set of service-performance measures.

How often does the data update?

Once per state reporting cycle — annually in practice, as each state publishes its new statutory dataset.

Where does the data come from?

Victoria's Local Government Performance Reporting Framework, the NSW Office of Local Government, and Queensland's Comparative Information. Method published at /methodology.

Proof of rigour: what Queensland councils don't report.

Top-performing councils

See the full rankings for all 284 councils