The statement of the Minister for Regional NSW and responses from Regional Cities NSW and the Member for Oxley highlight the NSW Budget 2026-27 measures aimed at rural and regional NSW, and the strengths and shortcomings of those measures.

Community at heart of regional and rural budget boost: Moriarty

The Hon. Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Media Release, 24 June 2026

This year’s Stage Budget recognises that cost-of-living pressures remain a challenge for the people of regional and rural New South Wales.

Longer travel distances, higher energy needs and fewer alternatives mean higher costs are often felt most acutely in regional communities.

This Budget recognises that access to essential services should not depend on where you live.

Regional and rural families will benefit from key initiatives in the Budget including:

• $100 off private vehicle registration with an $80 cut for motorcycles (excluding caravans and trailers). This is relief that matters most where people rely on cars, utes and longer drives.
• A share of $557.1 million through the Home Energy Saver program: interest-free loans and discounts to install energy-efficient appliances and cut power bills over time.
• More than $1 billion for biosecurity measures including funding to continue combating pest and weed incursions.
• An additional $16.3 million to bolster existing feral pig and deer control strategies.
• $86.6 million over the next two years in the most comprehensive shark management program in NSW’s history.
• Investing $13.7 million for animal welfare in 2026-27, including grant funding to the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League for enforcement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. 

Concessions and exemptions granted

• Land tax exemption grants for land use for primary production – up 23.7 per cent to $3.2 billion
• Primary producer motor vehicle concessions – $24 million – 2025-26
• Fishing licence concessions to pensioners – $9 million – 2025-26

Other budget initiatives for regional NSW include:

• Nearly $3 billion to be invested in new and upgraded health facilities for rural and regional communities across NSW, including $1.1 billion in 2026-27;

1. New maternity unit at Grafton Hospital worth $20 million
2. $9.9 million for robotic surgery research and capability at Orange Health Service
3. $1 million to plan for future paediatric oncology services for children in the Hunter New England and the North Coast

• $2.3 billion over the next four years to deliver new and upgraded schools across regional NSW
• $910.9 million to restore local and state roads, and other essential public assets damaged by natural disasters
• Funding to reconstruct and reopen the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass
• $9.8 billion on regional roads and transport including $291 million for the new Regional Corridors Upgrade Program
• $195.2 million to deliver a landscape-scale, integrated approach to threatened species conservation to support ecosystem recovery across NSW
• $154.2 million to support First Nations communities across NSW
• $153.9 million to support regional communities through the Regional Development Trust
• $130.0 million to maintain and renew national park visitor infrastructure to keep facilities safe and open across NSW
• $209.2 million to improve the and expand the Public Safety Network (PSN), ensuring reliable communications for emergency services and addressing critical asset, operational and greater coverage across NSW
• Better emergency care in regional NSW through an additional $67.4 million to deliver three new regional helicopter bases
• $1.0 million for future paediatric oncology services in Hunter New England and North Coast
• $71.7 million for supporting patients travelling long distances for care for the Isolated Patient Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme
• $2.2 million over two years to coordinate youth crime services in regional NSW
• $1.9 million in 2026-27 to strengthen emergency response capability and resilience of local water utilities

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said: 

“Regional NSW plays a vital role in our state’s prosperity. By easing pressures today and investing in the future of regional NSW, this Budget ensures our regions remain strong, connected and full of opportunity.

“Together, this Budget reflects a balanced approach of providing immediate cost-of-living relief while investing in the our primary industries, infrastructure, industries and services for thriving regional communities into the future.”

2026-27 NSW Budget:
Kemp

The Hon. Michael Kemp, Member for Oxley, Media Release, 24 June 2026

The NSW Budget handed down yesterday contains some important wins for the Oxley electorate that I have been advocating for, but overall it once again misses the mark for regional NSW. 

I welcome funding for $22.1 million to continue improvements to Waterfall Way, $10.5 million for Summerville’s Road and Gordonville Cutting, $33 million for the Dorrigo Great Walk, $700,000 for health building refurbishments in Kempsey, $750,000 for social housing upgrades and $467,000 to help develop outdoor industry skills among Aboriginal communities in Bowraville and surrounding areas. 

These are worthwhile investments, but they do not deliver the scale of funding regional NSW needs. Regional communities are home to 30 per cent of the state’s population, yet we continue to miss out on our fair share while billions flow into metropolitan projects and city-focused measures such as toll relief. 

Taxes have increased by 30 per cent, grocery prices are up 10 per cent, and electricity costs have risen by 20 per cent. Yet much of the Government’s cost-of-living relief is heavily skewed towards metropolitan areas, leaving regional communities behind. Where is the fairness in that? We don’t have Opal cards or tolls out here – so when relief is delivered through those systems, regional people are simply left out of the equation. 

I sincerely welcome additional investment to tackle domestic and family violence, it is sorely needed. We also need far greater investment in drug and alcohol rehabilitation services to break the cycle of violence and disadvantage. I will continue fighting for a rehabilitation centre on the Mid North Coast that our communities desperately need. 

The Government’s $16 million investment to combat feral pigs and other invasive pests is a start. Farmers and landholders know just how devastating these pests are to agriculture and native wildlife. Whereas, the NSW Nationals have promised $300 million in biosecurity measures if successful at the next election to combat the environmental and economic damage across NSW.  

More than 6,200 businesses have closed across the state, a clear sign that the pressure on our economy is not easing. Yet small businesses – which make up 97 per cent of all businesses in NSW – was completely overlooked in this budget. There is very little that directly supports small business or start-ups, and no targeted relief for business owners dealing with rising costs, ongoing workforce shortages, and mounting economic pressure. 

Regional NSW powers this state. We grow the food, produce the resources and drive the economy. I will continue to work with the Government where it delivers for Oxley, but I will also continue fighting to ensure our communities receive the infrastructure and investment they deserve. 

Short-term fixes, no long-term vision – RCNSW on the 2026–27 Budget:
RCNSW

Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW), Media Release, 23 June 2026

Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW) says today’s [23 June 2026] State Budget recognises the cost-of-living pressures facing regional households and funds important local projects, but fails to provide the long-term vision needed to unlock the full potential of regional NSW.

RCNSW Chair Cr Steve Krieg said cost-of-living measures and targeted investments in health, education, infrastructure and community services would make a meaningful difference for the communities receiving them.

“After a tough year of rising fuel prices hitting regional households and businesses hardest, support that reduces transport costs is genuinely welcome,” Cr Krieg said.

“The commitment for new and upgraded rural and regional health facilities, including long-awaited hospital upgrades in several of our member cities, is a significant step forward.

“And with more young families choosing regional NSW, upgrading our schools is essential to keeping pace with growth,” he said.

The Budget also allocated funding central to the Government’s broader policy agenda, particularly road and broader freight investment needed to deliver renewable energy zones.  

Cr Krieg said the budget had a number of individual, one off investments for communities such as Broken Hill’s water infrastructure commitment.  

“Regional NSW deserves more than one off investments. 

“This budget falls short of the long-term, coordinated regional strategy needed to address the pressures shaping life outside the city.

“Regional communities are central to the state’s future prosperity, energy security and food production. 

“To deliver on that potential, we need the strategic, long-term planning that allows our cities to grow, attract workers and remain liveable.

“We need a coordinated plan for water security, housing and transport.

“Without that long-term strategy, we risk limiting regional NSW’s full contribution to the state at a time when we really need it,” he said.