Catholic, Uniting and Anglican churches collectively own more than 1000 properties across South Australia
South Australia’s three most popular religions – the Catholic, Uniting and Anglican churches – own a staggering amount of properties across SA. Find out where.
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South Australia’s three most popular religions – the Catholic, Uniting and Anglican churches – collectively own more than 1000 properties across the state.
A debate is underway around whether the churches should be allowed to continue claiming rate exemptions, which mean councils lose out on millions in income each year.
As the state’s housing crisis worsens, and amid sustained demand for land, Advertiser analysis of property records has shown the Catholic Church to be the most prolific landholder with 510 different titles.
The Uniting Church was next with 432, followed by the Anglican Church with 309. The properties included churches, schools, houses and business or office sites.
In the Adelaide City Council area alone, the three churches own more than 30 titles.
State law says rates on land containing a church, or land used solely for religious purposes, must be fully rebated.
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said Adelaide is “disproportionately affected” by rate exemptions because it has the largest share of non-ratepaying organisations of any council in SA.
She said the exemptions mean council misses out on more than $40m a year – but the impact of religious institution rebates is small compared to the impact of exemptions for government premises.
A council spokesman said, in the 2023-24 financial year, the council will miss out on $1.15m attributed to 91 properties that will have their rates rebated because they are being used for religious purposes.
The Local Government Association said SA’s mandatory council rate rebates and exemptions are “more extensive and heavier handed” than most other Australian jurisdictions, and were leaving those who do pay rates worse off.
President Mayor Dean Johnson said while some exemptions have merit, others “don’t stack up” – and the LGA would advocate for reform.
Local Government Minister Geoff Brock said council rate rebates “aim to recognise the public service that certain bodies provide”, and any legislative change would need to take that service into account.
Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide financial administrator Dr Carlo D’Ortenzio said the Archdiocese has a small number of buildings in the Adelaide CBD – “several of which are subject to rates and taxes on rental income”.
As well as Catholic parish and school contributions to local communities across the state, the church funds programs including domestic violence intervention, homelessness support, NDIS assistance, foster care, and mental health support.
Mr D’Ortenzio said parishes continue to look at ways any surplus land can be used for affordable housing however, the majority of Archdiocesan properties are already being fully utilised.
A spokeswoman for the Uniting Church in South Australia said the church’s three CBD worship centres are heritage-listed, and the church is responsible for the financial cost of their maintenance.
She said exemption only applies to those centres – not business premises or houses owned by the church.
“The rate exemption assists these places of worship to host a diverse range of services for the local community including community outreach, homelessness and extreme weather support,” she said.
A spokesman for the Anglican Church in South Australia said: “apart from church buildings themselves, the Anglican Church pays full rates on the vast majority of its properties”.
“For the most part the remission of rates is not automatic and the Church has to demonstrate that the buildings in question are used for worship or community services – a lot of our buildings are used by community and charitable organisations outside the Church’s control,” he said.
He said, as well as core religious outreach, the church uses its overall budget to support an enormous number of charitable and community support enterprises – including a range of services to homeless people as well as the provision of affordable housing.
Church-owned properties within the Adelaide City Council area
*It is not suggested that churches claim rate rebates on every property
*List does not include all churches
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church Endowment Society, the financial and property arm of the Archiodicese of Adelaide, owns:
- St Patrick’s Church, Grote St, Adelaide
- Hutt St Centre, Adelaide
- St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Wakefield St, Adelaide
- Business site on Wakefield St, Adelaide
- 250 Victoria Square, Adelaide (site of SA Water building)
- Site of Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre, Wakefield St, Adelaide
- 21-45 Wakefield St, Adelaide (site of Diocesan office and Centacare Catholic Family Services)
- Apartment on Hurtle Sq, Adelaide
- House on Jeffcott St, North Adelaide
- St Mary’s Church, Stanley St, North Adelaide
The Uniting Church
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust owns:
- 212 Pirie St, Adelaide (office space)
- Scots Church, 237 North Tce, Adelaide
- Pilgrim Uniting Church, Flinders St, Adelaide
- Brougham Place Uniting Church, North Adelaide
Anglican Church
The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide owns:
- St Luke’s, Whitmore Sq, Adelaide
- Two neighbouring titles to St Luke’s
- Business site on Sturt St, Adelaide
- St Mary Magdalene’s, Moore St, Adelaide
- Two neighbouring titles to St Mary Magdalene’s
- St John’s, Halifax St, Adelaide
- House on St John St, Adelaide
- Five titles between 2-39 King William Rd (site of St Peter’s Cathedral and Diocesan office)
- St Cyprian’s, Melbourne St, North Adelaide
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia owns:
- House on Grattan St, Adelaide
- 262-280 Franklin St, Adelaide
- Greek Orthodox church and bell tower, Franklin St, Adelaide
- 75-76 West Tce (vacant lot), Adelaide
Baptist Church
Baptist Churches of South Australia owns:
- 29 Selby St, Adelaide
- 198-200 Wright St, Adelaide
- 202-210 Wright St, Adelaide
Lutheran Church
Separate church entities own:
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Flinders St, Adelaide
- Bethlehem House, Sudholz Pl, Adelaide (Bethlehem Church owns)
- St Stephen’s, Wakefield St, Adelaide
- Immanuel Lutheran Church, Archer St, North Adelaide
More Coverage
Originally published as Catholic, Uniting and Anglican churches collectively own more than 1000 properties across South Australia
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