City of Perth Rates Policy Update Links Iron Ore Royalties to 2027 Notices

The City of Perth has completed updates to its rates setting policy to account for revised state revenue sharing from iron ore royalties, with the first changes scheduled to appear in rate notices mailed in July 2027 for the 2027-28 financial year.

State budget processes have driven the revisions because federal and state revenue arrangements determine how much funding reaches local councils for core services including road repairs, waste management and community facilities in the Perth metropolitan area.

Changes to household costs and local services

Residents in suburbs such as Victoria Park and Subiaco will receive rate notices that incorporate the adjusted revenue figures, which in turn influence the budgets available for maintaining local parks, libraries and footpaths. The policy also sets new parameters for development contribution levies on projects near Metronet stations, with the revised fees expected to apply to applications lodged from early 2028.

Policy analysts say the framework requires councils to recalculate rates each year based on the latest royalty allocations, so the exact dollar impact on individual properties will depend on land valuations assessed by the Valuer General in the preceding twelve months.

The legislation states that a minimum share of any royalty uplift must be reflected in the local government budget papers released each May, providing ratepayers with advance notice of the coming year's charges.

Rollout schedule from mid 2027

Councils across the Perth metropolitan area are required to complete public consultation periods by the end of August 2026 before the final policy documents are adopted at ordinary council meetings in September. The government says the policy will produce updated rate modelling tools for residents by December 2026, allowing households to estimate their 2027 notices using online calculators hosted on each local government website.