How do your property taxes work? It's not clear to me whether they're similar to our council rates.

Rates are charged by local councils (a local government created by the state government) based on the value of the land. The land value is assessed by the state Valuer General. The rating of the land depends on the council revenue plan for the upcoming year and also the zoning of the land. The zoning is one of residential, business, farming, mining. There are rules limiting how much the rates can be increased, and allowing you to appeal the official value of your land, etc etc.