The complete Budget schedules, financial statements and supplementary documents are published on the Sunshine Coast Council website each year following Council's adoption of the Budget.

Across the Sunshine Coast, Council contributes to daily life in many ways, including; maintaining pathways, caring for cemeteries, collecting and recycling millions of bins, delivering safer smoother roads from the hinterland to the coast, maintaining over 3,192 km of roads, supporting community gardens, managing waste and reducing landfill, providing sports facilities, keeping beaches safe, carrying out rescues (with 552 performed by lifeguards last year), planning for the growth of our region, caring for beaches and waterways, reducing flood impacts, running holiday parks, creating places to play and connect, supporting community wellbeing, maintaining buildings and venues, representing the Sunshine Coast in State planning, delivering libraries, supporting jobs and businesses, awarding thousands of community grants, looking after parks and playgrounds, recycling over 111,000 tonnes of waste annually, improving town centres, managing and future‑proofing stormwater drains, supporting the SES, delivering events, keeping beaches clean, providing support during natural disasters, offsetting Council’s electricity consumption through the solar farm, caring for 8,423 hectares of environmental reserves, providing customer support, supporting community initiatives, delivering cultural experiences, improving street lighting, guiding development, protecting natural areas and biodiversity, managing animal and environmental health, connecting people with Council, keeping services running, creating vibrant local places, supporting long-term financial sustainability of the Sunshine Coast, bringing communities together, and shaping a brighter future every day.

Sometimes the name of a project doesn’t tell the whole story - what sounds like a simple item like a dog bowl can include extra supporting infrastructure, which is reflected in the overall cost. These projects involve planning, compliance, installation and supporting infrastructure to ensure they are safe, durable and accessible for long term community use and ease of maintenance. For example, a project such as a dog bowl would typically include: • Durable materials like stainless steel suitable for outdoor environments • Concrete footings and installation works • Drainage installation, plumbing and water connection from Unitywater • Site preparation and reinstatement • Compliance with safety and accessibility standards. Similarly, the cost of developing or expanding off leash dog areas vary depending on site conditions and the level of infrastructure required. Works can include and are not limited to: • Site clearing, earthworks and grading • Fencing and secure access points • Drainage and irrigation works • Pathways, seating, shelters and shade structures • Waste facilities and dog agility or play equipment • Landscaping and turf establishment • Design, project management and compliance costs. Each site is different and factors terrain, drainage requirements, access to utilities and the scale of the facility, which all influence the overall cost of the project. Should site conditions be favourable, and existing infrastructure be available, this may reduce overall costs.

The Queensland Government’s recent land revaluation saw an average increase of 24 per cent across the Sunshine Coast region. Council has worked hard to mitigate the impact of these changes. You will have received a notice from the Queensland Government about your updated land valuation, that takes effect from 1 July 2026. In simple terms, land valuations are based on what similar land is selling for in your area – which is why they can vary widely across the region and even in your suburb or street. Many properties on the Sunshine Coast have seen increases, this does not mean your rates rise by the same percentage. Land valuations are just one factor used to calculate rates, and by law Council must use these updated valuations when calculating the 2026–27 Differential General Rates. Extensive rate modelling has been undertaken to help reduce the effect of the valuation on the general rate paid by residents. More information about how land valuations work is available on the Queensland Government website.

Our community rightly expects us to make every dollar count and we have a responsibility to ensure we have looked closely at every part of our organisation, and reduced costs wherever we can before asking more of our ratepayers. Council has taken a close look at all operations to identify how we can improve efficiency and deliver more value for money. We will become leaner and more disciplined, while continuing to invest in priority infrastructure and everyday services. Council has already saved $8.6 million by pausing recruitment and managing vacancies. A further $4.4 million in productivity improvements is being delivered through service reviews. We have taken a close look at our priorities and scheduling, leading to a $13.7 million reduction in budget requests. Alongside new ways of working and efficiencies gained through technology, these changes will reshape Council and strengthen our ability to meet the needs of our community now, while preparing for our future. Council’s Chief Executive Officer has been tasked with identifying further efficiencies – redirecting resources toward frontline services and away from overhead. More detail will be shared as work progresses.

Council has budgeted a deficit operating result of $7.6 million for 2026-27, improving on the 2025-26 current budget of $13 million deficit. We've been working hard to deliver efficiency improvements, helping reduce costs and improve our financial position. Council is committed to improving its operating result and returning to a balanced budget. Every budget we deliver will be a step in that direction.

Local councils are delivering an ever-growing range of services with just 3 per cent of Australia’s overall taxes, compared to 80 cents in the dollar for the Commonwealth and roughly 17 cents for the Queensland Government. Local governments across Australia are also responsible for 33 per cent of the nation’s infrastructure, including 76 per cent of the roads. Yet collectively, councils across Australia receive just 0.5 per cent of the total Australian taxation revenue through the Financial Assistance Grants. The state and federal governments benefit from increases in electricity and fuel costs and from GST on groceries, goods, and services.

More homes do mean more ratepayers, but they also mean more services and bigger networks to maintain (waste, roads, parks, footpaths, stormwater and street lighting). Over the past few years, the cost of providing these has risen faster than revenue, so growth also brings higher costs to serve.

To account for increased contractor expenses and the Queensland Government Waste Levy, your domestic collection fee for the 240L general waste bin, 240L recycling bin and 240 litre Garden Organics Bin, will increase by 71 cents per week. These charges have been adjusted to reflect the cost of service delivery, including weekly waste collections, recycling and safe landfill management. A portion of this increase in residential bin collection fees is due to the Queensland Government’s Waste Levy. $46 is included in the cost of a standard 240 litre bin service this year to cover the part of the levy not offset by Queensland Governments prepayment. While Council receives $9.5 million to offset the cost of the domestic part of the Waste Levy, it falls well short of the $18 million we must pay for the domestic portion of the levy. We have no control over this bin tax. As our community grows, so too does the demand on waste services. We are investing in long-term projects to manage this responsibly and avoid higher costs in the future, protect our environment and ensure we don’t run out of landfill space. We’re acting now to avoid much higher costs to both Council and our ratepayers in the future. Key projects include expansion of the Nambour Landfill Site and improvements to the Caloundra Resource Recovery Centre to ensure we have the space and infrastructure to manage residual waste responsibly.

The Caloundra South Priority Development Area Special Charge provides a higher level of landscaping and maintenance service to the designated public footpaths and associated planted areas, road verges, public spaces and stormwater drainage reserve vegetation than is normally delivered. It is only property owners in the PDA who benefit from the higher level of service that pay the special charge. Property owners would have been aware of the possibility of a charge when purchasing their property through disclosure on the sale contract from the developer. A unit or house will be charged $45 per year, different charges apply to shopping centres, commercial and industrial and retirement villages. The PDA plan has been adopted for a five-year period and is reviewed annually.

A number of animal registration fees have recently been adjusted to better align with the cost of delivering related services and infrastructure, ensuring these services can continue to be provided effectively and sustainably as our population grows. The updated fees remain broadly consistent with those charged by other Queensland councils. Fee increases are as follows: • Desexed dog: now $63 per year, an increase of $33 • Desexed cat: now $43 per year, an increase of $13 • Regulated dog/declared dangerous dog: $659 per year, an increase of $47. Animal registration fees support a range of important community services and initiatives. These include helping reunite lost pets with owners, the operation of a modern, state-of-the-art animal management facility, proactive animal patrols to help keep the community safe, and thorough investigations into dog attacks and other incidents. They also contribute to education and prevention efforts, such as visits to kindergartens and schools to promote responsible pet ownership, as well as broader community awareness programs that help create safer environments for both people and animals. Registration fees are not allocated to general revenue.

Council has budgeted $5.3 million to help our pensioners in the form of a Pensioner Rate Concessions.  All eligible pensioners will benefit from a 5 per cent increase in their pensioner rate concession.   A single pensioner on a full pension will now receive $343 per year (an increase of $16.40), while a pensioner couple on a full pension will receive $268 per year (an increase of $12.40).  Single and couple part pensioners will now receive $171.50 (an increase of $8.20) and $98 (an increase of $4.60) per year, respectively.

No - there is not. This is a hoax. There’s no such thing as a 'surfing tax', so you can keep enjoying the winter waves without worry.