THE Bass Coast Shire Council is set to release its draft new ‘Revenue and Rating Plan’ at this week’s council meeting, going out for public comment and feedback over a 28-day period from Thursday, April 17 until Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
It’s an opportunity for farmers and individuals who believe the rating system in place at Bass Coast unfairly puts the burden of the shire’s costs on them through rates to make submissions.
However, the new rating strategy, which must be reviewed under Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2020 following a general council election, proposes no substantive changes to the current rating strategy and rating differentials.
Residential, commercial and industrial rates are proposed to remain at 100% of the rate set annually by council, and the differentials for vacant land at 150% and farms at 80%.
Ratepayers, residents, visitors, farmers and business owners who have an interest in the Revenue and Rating Plan are invited to attend three community engagement sessions at Cowes, Inverloch and Corinella during April and May to provide stakeholder feedback.
The dates and times for these community engagement sessions are proposed as follows:
Cowes – Wednesday 23 April 2025 (midday to 1pm)
Inverloch – Tuesday 29 April 2025 (10 am to midday)
Corinella – Thursday 8 May 2025 (2pm to 4pm)
Council will also consider any submissions received on the plan at a Council Briefing on May 28, 2025, prior to the adoption of the plan by June 30, 2025.
Bill Cleeland VFF
Last year, Bass Coast VFF President Bill Cleeland was one of only eight people to make a submission to the 2024-25 Bass Coast budget process.
Following up on comments by the then VFF President Emma Germano, that rate capping had failed to stop some regional councils from forcing rate increases onto farms well in excess of what was reasonable or sustainable, Mr Cleeland pledge to make another pitch for a farm rate reduction.
“We got a 20% differential in place some years ago but with continual increases in rates, even at the rate cap level, that benefit has been completely eroded,” Mr Cleeland said at the time.
“You need a lot of property these days to be able to make a commercial go of farming. It’s an income creating asset but we’re getting taxed for it. It would be like taxing Harvey Norman for the number of refrigerators they have on the floor.
“It’s simply unfair to be taxing farmers on their capacity to make a living simply because someone down the road sold their property for an increased amount.
“The farm rate on the Mornington Peninsula is 35% of the general rate, I think, but they’re still paying a lot of rates. We’re seeing farm values around the coast, from Inverloch to Phillip Island, going the same way as farms on the Mornington Peninsula and we really need to be adjusting the differential we have down,” he said.
In response to Mr Cleeland’s submission last time, Council said there would be a review of farm rates this year but to date there has been no sign of any change or even an explanation about why leaving rates as they are, is the fairest outcome.
