16 May 2025
Public feedback collected by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal has confirmed the scale of community opposition to North Sydney Council’s rejected special rate variation, with more than 90% of survey respondents opposing the proposal on grounds ranging from affordability to distrust in council financial management.
IPART’s four-week survey attracted 1,648 responses—an unusually high number for a local government consultation. The vast majority of participants expressed concern over the size of the proposed increases, which sought to raise general residential rates by 87% over two years.
Among the most common reasons for opposing the variation were:
87% of respondents believed the council had not been effectively managing its budget
85% opposed the sheer size of the proposed rate hike
74% cited cost-of-living pressures
69% criticised council’s infrastructure management
Only 4% said they had no concerns with the proposal.
Support for the rate increase was minimal. Only 4% said they agreed with the purpose of the special variation, and just 3% supported the proposed rate structure. A majority—58%—stated they had no reason at all to support the increase. Even among those citing infrastructure needs or financial sustainability as justification, support did not exceed 26%.
IPART noted that although the survey was not statistically representative due to its self-selected nature, the consistency and strength of opposition aligned with other feedback channels and submissions it received during its review of the application.
The Tribunal ultimately found that North Sydney Council failed to meet four of the six assessment criteria, including those related to financial need, community awareness, affordability and cost containment. Its determination means the council is limited to a standard 4.0% rate peg for 2025–26.