Families across the Hunter are under real pressure. Longer distances, higher energy needs and an economy in transition mean the cost of mortgages, rent, groceries and fuel is felt acutely across the region.
This Budget acts on a simple principle: relief for today and reform for tomorrow - building a state working Australians can afford.
Relief for cost-of-living pressures
Relief in this Budget is practical and immediate, and it reaches Hunter households where costs bite hardest, on the road and in power bills. It delivers:
- $100 off private vehicle registration, worth $435 million across 4.4 million vehicles (excluding caravans and trailers), with an $80 cut for motorcycles. This is relief that matters most where people rely on cars, utes and longer drives.
- $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.
- A $1,000 cost-of-living payment for more than 120,000 NSW Government employees, triggered because Sydney CPI growth exceeded 4 per cent between the March quarters of 2025 and 2026.
These relief measures sit in a wider statewide package, comprising:
- The weekly toll cap cut from $60 to $50 for 2026-27, going further than last year's $60 cap.
- Scrapping toll administration fees from July, saving at least $10 a notice, and ending a charge that cost motorists $60 million last year, in some cases twice the toll itself.
- Opal fares held at 2025 prices for the year.
Healthier Hunter communities
Health is the largest single commitment in this Budget.
Across NSW, a historic $10.3 billion increase in health funding over four years, delivered with the Australian Government, will recruit 9,000 more health workers and fund around 2,900 more planned surgeries a year.
This sits alongside $11.9 billion for health infrastructure including 32 new and upgraded hospitals and more than 2,500 beds.
Regional NSW shares fully in that program. Of the $11.9 billion statewide, nearly $3.0 billion is invested in regional hospitals and health facilities over the next four years. In the Hunter, this includes:
- $890.0 million for the John Hunter Health and Innovation project.
- $138.0 million for the Cessnock Hospital redevelopment.
- $45 million for Stage 3 of the Muswellbrook Hospital redevelopment.
Nurses and midwives receive the largest pay rise in more than twenty years, and the largest ever for enrolled nurses, backed by an additional $2.9 billion in this Budget.
Hunter nurses, midwives, teachers and police are among those benefiting from the high wage economy this Government is building.
Better schools, closer to home
Every child deserves a world-class education, wherever they live. This Budget invests $9.2 billion statewide over four years for new and upgraded schools, of which $2.3 billion is forregional NSW. In the Hunter, this includes:
- New primary and high schools at Huntlee.
- A new primary school and co-located early learning in the Chisholm area.
- The Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at TAFE NSW Tighes Hill.
The Minns Labor Government is delivering new and rebuilt schools across regional NSW,
close to the communities they serve.
Transport and connectivity
Reliable transport keeps the Hunter connected and moving. This Budget invests:
- $390.5 million to continue the M1 to Raymond Terrace extension.
- $258.2 million for the Muswellbrook Bypass and $119.1 million for the Singleton Bypass.
- $87.4 million towards the Nelson Bay Road upgrade.
A new beating heart for the Hunter
The Minns Labor Government is committing $14.0 million in funding to begin planning and development of the Broadmeadow Precinct including a brand new Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
Safer Hunter communities
Domestic and family violence is disproportionately higher in rural and regional areas.
This Budget makes a $184.1 million investment in six frontline domestic and family violence programs, helping thousands more women, children and people impacted by violence access specialist support and stay safe. This is a 50 per cent increase phased in over four years.
Community workers also receive a 4.75 per cent pay increase under the Fair Work Commission determination.
Investments in emergency services protect communities and keep families and businesses safe.
This Budget provides $470.1 million over 10 years to enhance emergency response and better protect communities by transferring the state's red fleet from councils to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Responsible decisions make these investments possible
This Budget can provide cost-of-living relief and continue investing in essential services because the Government has spent the past three years making responsible and difficult decisions to strengthen the state's finances.
That work has been done without privatisation and without bringing back an unfair wages cap, while keeping public assets in public hands and maintaining an independent umpire for wages and conditions.
As global uncertainty and higher fuel prices place additional pressure on families and businesses, this Budget provides support now while continuing the work of returning the state's finances to surplus in 2027-28.
It's about supporting families today, while securing NSW's future.
