Southern Downs Regional Council

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.

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

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

• Local government services
• Council rates and utilities
• Waste and recycling collection
• Planning and building approvals
• Community infrastructure management

Headquarters

HQ city

Warwick , Q

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Queensland Government Grants: Funding from Queensland Government through programs such as the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program (LGGSP) for infrastructure projects
4. Fees and Charges: Various fees for services including planning applications, building approvals, animal management, licenses, permits, and hire of council facilities

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TechnologyOnecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnologyOne 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 FitnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYMCA 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

Direct 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

• Xtwitter.com/SouthernDowns
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SdrcQldGovAu
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Southern-Downs-Regional-Council/267660716593332
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-downs-regional-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/southerndowns_regionalcouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Downs Regional Council