Southern Downs Regional Council
Southern Downs Regional Council is a statutory Queensland local government authority serving 15,000+ households across five towns, providing utility services, infrastructure maintenance, planning, and community facilities, funded via property rates, utility charges, and government grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWarwick , Q, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Southern Downs Regional Council does
Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) is a statutory local government authority in Queensland, Australia, formed in 2008 through the amalgamation of former Warwick City Council and surrounding local authorities. It operates under the Local Government Act 2009 (Queensland) and serves approximately 15,000 households across five major towns (Warwick, Stanthorpe, Killarney, Allora, Leyburn) and surrounding villages, managing over $1 billion in infrastructure assets including roads, water and wastewater networks, and waste facilities. The council is governed by elected councillors led by Mayor Melissa Hamilton, with Rachel Brophy appointed as CEO in December 2024 (commencing mid-January 2025).
SDRC's service portfolio spans regulatory functions (planning and development assessment, food business licensing, animal management), utility services (water, sewerage, waste and recycling), community infrastructure (libraries, parks, pools, cemeteries, saleyards), and emergency management (Disaster Dashboard). Its digital platform surface includes the MySDRC mobile app (available on iOS and Android), online mapping portal, smart water metering with the My SDRC Water customer portal, eProperty rates checking, eSubmit development application lodgement, Payreq eBilling, and the 'Have Your Say' community engagement platform. Internal operations are run on TechnologyOne's CiA Workplace enterprise software.
The council is funded through property rates (tiered across Principal Place of Residence, Primary Production, Non-Residential, and a new Non-Principal Place of Residence category), utility charges for water/sewerage/waste, fees and charges for permits and approvals, and grants from Queensland and Australian governments. The 2026-2027 budget (adopted 24 June 2026) included a 5.3% median rate increase and $11.5M in water and sewerage investment, while the council is pursuing $51M+ in additional state grant funding over three years. Cost-recovery and grant co-funding partnerships (notably with Queensland Government via the LGGSP and with YMCA for recreation facilities) are central to its financial model.
Southern Downs Regional Council firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southern Downs Regional Council
- Legal name
- Southern Downs Regional Council
- Website
- https://sdrc.qld.gov.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Southern Downs Regional Council is a statutory Queensland local government authority serving 15,000+ households across five towns, providing utility services, infrastructure maintenance, planning, and community facilities, funded via property rates, utility charges, and government grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southern Downs Regional Council industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Government and Community Services
- NAICS
- Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (221)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK), Public Works / In-House Municipal Collection Operations (EUAIAAAF)
Keywords
Where Southern Downs Regional Council is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warwick , Q
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Southern Downs Regional Council business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Property Rates: General rates charged to property owners based on property valuation and category (residential, primary production, non-residential). Rates fund essential services like roads, parks, and community services.
- Utility Charges: Water, sewerage, and waste management charges applied only to properties that have or can access these services. User-pays model for specific utility services.
- Queensland Government Grants: Funding from Queensland Government through programs such as the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program (LGGSP) for infrastructure projects
- Fees and Charges: Various fees for services including planning applications, building approvals, animal management, licenses, permits, and hire of council facilities
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Principal Place of Residence |
| Subscription | Annual | Primary Production |
| Subscription | Annual | Non-Residential |
| Subscription | Annual | Non-Principal Place of Residence |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Southern Downs Regional Council product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southern Downs Regional Council is a local government authority that provides statutory and community services across the Southern Downs region of Queensland, including rating and property services, water supply and sewerage, kerbside waste and recycling, road and infrastructure maintenance, planning and building approvals, food and business licensing, animal management, libraries, parks, pools and halls, disaster management, and community grant programs. It operates more than A$1 billion of community infrastructure and delivers services through physical offices in Warwick and Stanthorpe, a mobile app, online portals and a phone contact centre.
Product overview
Southern Downs Regional Council provides a comprehensive suite of digital and utility services to residents across Queensland's Southern Downs region. The council operates a portfolio of online service platforms including the My SDRC App (mobile application), Online Mapping (spatial data portal), Payreq Ebilling Portal (digital rate notices), Disaster Dashboard (emergency management), and My SDRC Water Customer Portal (smart water metering). These are complemented by core utility services including waste and recycling collection, water and wastewater management, and infrastructure services such as caravan/RV facilities. The council also provides regulatory services including food business licensing. The digital platforms are primarily customer-facing web and mobile applications rather than a unified platform architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water Supply Service Potable water supply service delivered to properties across the Southern Downs region, with associated bulk water supply and dam level management for residents and businesses.
- Wastewater (Sewerage) Service Sewerage collection and treatment service for properties connected to the council's wastewater network, including joint state-funded network upgrades.
- Kerbside Waste and Recycling Collection Residential and commercial kerbside waste and recycling collection with access to waste facility information and recycling education resources.
- Roads and Infrastructure Maintenance Maintenance and upgrade of the local road network, drainage, footpaths and related infrastructure across the Southern Downs region.
- Planning and Development Approvals Assessment and approval of planning, building and development applications lodged by property owners, developers and businesses in the Southern Downs region.
- Food Business Licensing and Inspection Licensing, inspection and compliance services for food businesses operating in the Southern Downs region, covering fixed premises, mobile vendors, temporary stalls and domestic kitchens under the Food Act 2006.
- Animal Management Services Dog registration, animal control, impounded and rescued animal services, pest animal management, and wildlife advice for residents of the Southern Downs region.
- Library Services Public library services including catalogue access, My Library, eLibrary and community activities for Southern Downs residents and visitors.
- Public Halls, Parks, Pools and Aerodromes Hire Hire and operation of public halls, parks, public swimming pools, cemeteries, aerodromes and related community facilities for residents and visitors.
- Warwick Saleyards Livestock Market Operation of the Warwick Saleyards including livestock market reports, sale agent listings, current facilities and an ongoing redevelopment project for the regional cattle and sheep trade.
- Disaster Management and Emergency Response Real-time emergency management service including road closures, disaster alerts and recovery information delivered via the Disaster Dashboard, the MySDRC App and council communications channels.
- Smart Water Meter Service Smart water metering with the MySDRC Water customer portal allowing residents and businesses to monitor consumption, detect leaks and access meter readings online.
- Caravan and RV Water and Wastewater Facilities Five caravan and RV wastewater discharge points and four water filling stations operated across Warwick, Allora, Leyburn, Dalveen and Stanthorpe for public and visitor use.
- Community Grants and Engagement Programs Community grants, youth programs, citizenship information and online consultation delivered via the Have Your Say platform to engage Southern Downs residents and organisations.
- Rating and Property Services Tiered annual rating on residential, primary production, non-residential and non-principal place of residence properties, with eProperty online balance checking and Payreq eBilling for digital rates notices.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,822+ survey responses received for Corporate Plan engagement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Southern Downs Regional Council
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Southern Downs Regional Council technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Southern Downs Regional Council partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TechnologyOnecoreTechnologyOne provides the CiA Workplace enterprise software platform used by SDRC for internal operations, document management, and workflow automation. Council utilizes this platform for its enterprise resource management and council operations.
- YMCA FitnessminorYMCA operates the Stanthorpe Fitness Centre and Warwick Indoor Recreation and Aquatic Centre (WIRAC) on behalf of or in partnership with Council, providing community recreation and aquatic facilities.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Southern Downs Regional Council competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gympie Regional Council: Regional council with a comparable portfolio of water utilities, waste management, roads, and community facilities serving a rural/semi-rural Queensland population.
- Goondiwindi Regional Council: Southern Queensland regional council providing comparable municipal services including water utilities and waste collection to a small rural population across multiple towns. Comparable revenue model and ratepayer base.
- Lockyer Valley Regional Council: Neighbouring Queensland regional council focused on a primary-production economy with comparable water, waste, and community service delivery. Strong functional peer for a small rural council.
- Bundaberg Regional Council: Queensland regional council providing water and wastewater utilities, waste services, and community infrastructure. Larger in scale but operationally comparable across core local government functions.
- Western Downs Regional Council: Adjacent regional council in southern inland Queensland offering water/sewerage, waste, and infrastructure services to a comparably sized rural population. Strong functional overlap in primary production customer base and asset profile.
- Maranoa Regional Council: Inland Queensland regional council serving a similarly dispersed rural population with water/sewerage, roads, and waste services. Highly comparable in geographic scale and primary production economic base.
- Toowoomba Regional Council: Neighbouring Queensland regional council with comparable scope of local government services including water utilities, waste management, roads, and community facilities across a similarly rural/semi-rural footprint. Most directly comparable in scale and service mix.
- Scenic Rim Regional Council: Southeast Queensland regional council with overlapping service delivery (water, waste, planning, community facilities) to a mix of rural and small-town communities. Comparable in service breadth and regulatory scope.
Others
- TechnologyOne: Provider of the CiA Workplace enterprise software platform used by SDRC for council operations. Relevant as a key technology vendor and integration partner rather than a direct service competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Ipswich City Council: One of Queensland's larger local government authorities providing the same suite of utility, waste, and community services but at significantly greater scale. Useful for benchmarking service delivery models and digital engagement maturity.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Southern Downs Regional Council social profiles
Digital presenceSouthern Downs Regional Council financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southern Downs Regional Council leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Southern Downs Regional Council funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southern Downs Regional Council M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southern Downs Regional Council
What does Southern Downs Regional Council do?
Southern Downs Regional Council is a local government authority that provides statutory and community services across the Southern Downs region of Queensland, including rating and property services, water supply and sewerage, kerbside waste and recycling, road and infrastructure maintenance, planning and building approvals, food and business licensing, animal management, libraries, parks, pools and halls, disaster management, and community grant programs. It operates more than A$1 billion of community infrastructure and delivers services through physical offices in Warwick and Stanthorpe, a mobile app, online portals and a phone contact centre.
Is Southern Downs Regional Council a public or private company?
Southern Downs Regional Council is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Southern Downs Regional Council founded?
Southern Downs Regional Council was founded in 2008. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Southern Downs Regional Council based?
Southern Downs Regional Council is headquartered in Warwick , Q, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Southern Downs Regional Council make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Property Rates are the primary driver. The others are utility Charges, queensland Government Grants and fees and Charges.
Who are Southern Downs Regional Council's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gympie Regional Council, Goondiwindi Regional Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Bundaberg Regional Council, Western Downs Regional Council, Maranoa Regional Council, Toowoomba Regional Council and Scenic Rim Regional Council. TechnologyOne is listed as an others. Ipswich City Council is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Southern Downs Regional Council have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southern Downs Regional Council.
What industry is Southern Downs Regional Council in?
Southern Downs Regional Council's product category is Local Government and Community Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAF, Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities), with a secondary code of BPAIACAK, Local Public Health & Human Services Administration. Its NAICS code is 2213 and its SIC code is 4950.