Rates & Charges Debt Recovery Policy (Submissions close 27 March 2026)

Council has a responsibility to recover monies owing to it in a timely, fair and effective manner to fund the delivery of its services and ensure effective financial management for ongoing financial sustainability.

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to management, staff and the community to ensure that rates and charges are collected in a consistent, transparent and equitable manner in accordance with relevant legislation. This policy is applied when Council recovers rates and charges based levies on each parcel of rateable land.

This policy guides the administrative process that will be used in the collection of overdue rates and charges, which may include payment arrangements and/or the election of various recovery actions, including the sale of land in accordance with legislative requirements.

Background: At the 25 March 2025 Ordinary Council Meeting, Council Resolution 2025/40, directed that Council's hardship and debt recovery policies be reviewed to include a Norfolk Island-specific approach to accommodate special or unique circumstances that residents may face.

This direction was further confirmed on 25 June 2025 as part of Resolution 2025/95, which additionally requested a 28-day consultation period and review of the draft policies by the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC).

These policies were formally reviewed by ARIC on 12 February 2026 and endorsed to Council with only minor amendments.

The policies were also presented at the 24 February 2026 meeting of the Strategic Finance Improvement Committee.