57 Properties Sold at Public Auction

The auction attracted 90 members of the public and 67 registered bidders, achieving a 100% clearance rate.

A total of $538,500 was raised through the sales, which will be used in-part to pay outstanding rates, and then to repay liabilities owing to other parties. Any surplus funds from the auction process will be returned to the previous property owners, with no profit made by the Council. All properties offered were vacant and are now proceeding through a 30-day settlement period with the new buyers.

Prior to the auction, Council followed its debt recovery policies to collect outstanding rates and charges. In the instance where rate debtors have been classified as unrecoverable over a period of years and all other recovery steps have been exhausted, the sale of land for non-payment of rates can take place, per Section 184 of the Local Government Act (“the Act).

In line with the Act, advertisements were placed in local and state newspapers, and property owners were provided with multiple opportunities to pay their outstanding rates or enter a payment arrangement before the auction took place.

“We were surprised at the strong attendance on the day and the level of community interest in the auction. I would like to thank and commend Raph Liddle and the team from Elders Loxton for their efforts in conducting the auction, and their professionalism on the day which was greatly appreciated. To see every property sold and resolved so efficiently is a very positive outcome, and I am pleased that these matters have now been dealt with.

“Council has hardship policies in place to ensure we can support community members who may be experiencing financial difficulty. Matters of hardship are always dealt with the care and confidentiality they deserve, and the Section 184 process is always a last resort.

“Council is committed to working alongside property owners in hardship wherever possible, and we strongly encourage anyone experiencing difficulty to contact us early so that we can explore available options together.”

- David Beaton, Chief Executive Officer