Nillumbik ratepayers facing hardship get clearer payment support rules

Ratepayers experiencing financial hardship in Nillumbik Shire will have a clearer framework for seeking assistance and arranging payments under an updated Rates Financial Hardship Policy adopted by Nillumbik Shire Council on 28 July 2026.

The policy covers ratepayers experiencing financial difficulty and sets out the framework for assistance and payment arrangements. Council said the update is intended to strengthen transparency, consistency and the customer experience for people seeking support.

The revised policy was prepared to comply with the Local Government Act 2020 and ministerial guidelines issued in December 2025. Those requirements provide the policy basis for how council handles hardship assistance and arrangements for paying rates over time.

The policy does not introduce a new rate, fee or charge. The supplied decision does not specify individual eligibility thresholds, payment periods or application details.

The hardship policy is separate from council’s draft Sale of Properties for Unpaid Rates Policy, which was also advanced at the meeting. That draft sets out a framework for recovering long-term unpaid rates and charges, including possible land sales under section 181 of the Local Government Act 1989 or bankruptcy proceedings.

Those measures are described as last-resort options, to be considered only after other recovery options and hardship considerations have been exhausted. The draft policy is intended to provide a clear, consistent and legally compliant approach while maintaining fairness, transparency and community confidence.

Council will put the draft unpaid-rates policy on public exhibition for 21 days commencing in August 2026. Anyone who makes a written submission and asks to speak in support of it can be heard at a future Planning and Consultation Committee meeting.

Council will receive a further report after the consultation, with community feedback and the draft policy presented for final consideration at a future Council meeting. The Rates Financial Hardship Policy itself was adopted on 28 July.