funding · Ipswich City Council
Ipswich Council adopts debt, investment and financial management policies for 2026-27
Ipswich City Council has adopted its Debt Policy, Investment Policy and Financial Management Policy for 2026-2027, alongside the budget and rates package that takes effect from 1 July.
Ipswich City Council has adopted its Debt Policy, Investment Policy and Financial Management Policy for 2026-2027 at an extraordinary meeting in the council chambers, Administration Building, 1 Nicholas Street, Ipswich, on 30 June 2026. The policies sit behind how council borrows, invests and manages cash in the new financial year.
The Debt Policy was adopted under section 192 of the Local Government Regulation 2012. The Investment Policy was adopted under section 191. Council also adopted the Financial Management Policy for 2026-2027, with the policy text recorded in Part 14 of Attachment 2 to the budget papers.
The vote came as councillors considered the wider 2026-2027 financial package. Mayor Teresa Harding delivered the 2026-2027 Annual Plan and Budget Speech before the resolutions were carried.
Council also adopted the 2026-2027 Budget, which includes the Budget and Long-Term Financial Forecast, forecast financial statements, the Revenue Statement, the Revenue Policy and financial sustainability measures. The adopted package takes effect from 1 July 2026.
The same meeting fixed the rating structure and a range of charges that will appear on rates notices. Council adopted differential general rates, quarterly billing, and an overdue interest rate of 12.19% per annum from 1 July 2026.
The minutes also record a household waste service charge of $553.00 and a non-household waste levy of $110.80. Council adopted a $39 per annum Rural Fire Brigades special charge, a $3 per annum Rural Fire Brigades separate charge, a $68 per annum Ipswich Enviroplan separate charge and an Infrastructure Separate Levy of 0.00614 cents in the dollar with a minimum of $65 per annum.
Council granted a concession framework for eligible pensioners and a 100% concession of differential general rates for properties listed in Attachment 1. The minutes say the rating rules also cover differential categories, including residential, business, industrial, extractive and retail land.
Council adopted its Procurement Policy, Procurement and Contracts Manual and Annual Contracting Plan effective from 1 July 2026. It also adopted the Annual Plan 2026-2027, including the Annual Operational Plan and Capital Works Program, while the City Annual Budget 2026-2027 was dealt with in a separate report.
Reference minutes
Based on Ipswich City Council Extraordinary Council meeting minutes dated 30 June 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Ipswich City Council adopted the Debt Policy, Investment Policy and Financial Management Policy for 2026-2027.
- The debt policy was adopted under section 192 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.
- The investment policy was adopted under section 191 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.
- The financial management policy was adopted for 2026-2027 and sits in Part 14 of Attachment 2.
- Mayor Teresa Harding delivered the 2026-2027 budget speech at the extraordinary meeting.
- The policies were adopted alongside the 2026-2027 Budget and associated revenue and sustainability measures.
- The policies and budget settings take effect from 1 July 2026.
Why it matters
- These policies govern how Ipswich City Council borrows, invests and manages money, with direct consequences for rates, charges, financial risk and service delivery in 2026-2027.