NSW is set to secure our place as a global hub for innovation and investment with the creation of the Minns Labor Government's Investment Delivery Authority and nearly $80 million in innovation funding as part of the 2025-26 Budget.
The Government's third Budget puts investment, productivity and economic growth front and centre, delivering reforms that will make NSW an attractive place to invest and start a business, and securing the future of our state.
Investment Delivery Authority to attract and accelerate major investment
The Minns Labor Government is investing $17.7 million in the 2025-26 Budget to establish and support the work of an Investment Delivery Authority.
Modelled after the successful Housing Delivery Authority, the Investment Delivery Authority will accelerate approvals for major projects across all industries, including advanced technologies and energy.
Businesses have said that making major investments in NSW is too complex and too time consuming, which is slowing down productivity.
The Investment Delivery Authority will address this by helping cut through red tape, coordinate across government, and encourage investment.
It is expected to assist around 30 large projects per year, bringing forward up to $50 billion of investment each year.
It will provide advice on how best to navigate the planning system while evaluating projects for fast-track assessment and coordinating the necessary infrastructure to deliver them.
The Investment Delivery Authority will also be able to identify reforms to remove hurdles for private investment, and offer government assistance to support a proponent if their project is chosen.
This makes it easier for businesses to invest, build and create jobs in NSW.
The Investment Delivery Authority will accept expressions of interest from eligible domestic and international investment projects valued over $1 billion and will come into effect in the 2025-26 financial year.
A multi-agency Investment Taskforce, in Investment NSW under the Premier's Department, will support the Authority's work.
The Investment Delivery Authority will comprise Premier's Department Secretary Simon Draper, Treasury Secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter, Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Secretary Kiersten Fishburn, and Infrastructure NSW Chief Executive Tom Gellibrand.
It will make recommendations to the Treasurer, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, and the Minister for Industry and Trade.
Eligible projects must be able to commence development quickly and aligned with NSW Government priorities, as set out in policies including the NSW Industry Policy and Trade & Investment Strategy.
The Authority will not be restricted to a specific industry or sector. Major projects able to be considered may include hotels, data centres, renewable energy projects, and commercial developments.
Innovation Blueprint: Growing the economy through investment to secure NSW's future
The Minns Labor Government is working to cement NSW as a global hub for innovation and technology through the recently launched Innovation Blueprint.
The 2025-26 Budget includes nearly $80 million of new funding to deliver the Innovation Blueprint, which will establish NSW as the best place to innovate, connect with investors, and scale a business.
With NSW accounting for 65 per cent of the nation's venture capital investment in 2024, and being home to five out of eight Australian unicorn companies (privately held companies valued at over $1 billion), the state is already a recognised leader in driving economic growth through innovation.
The funding package for the Innovation Blueprint will promote more global success stories like Afterpay, Atlassian and Canva in the years ahead through the following groundbreaking initiatives:
- $38.5 million to turbocharge Tech Central, Australia's largest technology and innovation hub
- $20 million for Emerging Technology Commercialisation to drive growth and productivity in key areas such as Housing and Energy
- $6 million to extend the existing Minimum Viable Products Ventures program to support more startups at the early stages of development
- $6 million to support manufacturing businesses to adopt innovative technologies
- $4 million to promote housing construction through the Housing Innovation Network and the Innovation in Construction Fund
- $4 million to support tech founder diversity by providing training programs for female founders and our future tech leaders living and working in Western Sydney and regional NSW
- $700,000 to extend the operation of National Space Industry Hub.
Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said:
"The fact is major projects from the private sector are getting bogged down in red tape, which is making it harder to do business in NSW when we should be doing everything we can to get things moving.
"Our state is open for business and this change will encourage more people to bring their best ideas to life in NSW, all backed by our government.
"We've made great progress with the Housing Delivery Authority. This reform is a big signal that NSW is not just open for business-it's serious about being a global leader in innovation, industry, and investment."
Treasurer of NSW, Daniel Mookhey said:
"We have listened to what we are being told, loud and clear: everything in NSW is awesome, except for how long it takes to get major projects done.
"We are creating a way to address the blockages, speed up the process and ensure NSW is properly open for business.
"The Investment Delivery Authority is the turbocharger to drive economic growth across the state."
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully said:
"Lifting productivity growth is a critical issue for NSW and we recognise the challenges businesses and investors face when it comes to bringing their projects to life.
"The Investment Delivery Authority, supported by the Investment Taskforce, will identify and clear barriers that businesses may face, while advising on reforms that promote investment, competition and productivity in NSW."
Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said:
"With this nearly $80 million of funding, we will ensure we nurture, grow, and support the next Afterpay, Atlassian, and Canva from the early stages through the most vulnerable periods of a startup's life cycle - particularly just before the jump to commercialisation.
"The funding package will allow Tech Central - the largest tech innovation ecosystem in the country - to flourish as a melting pot for groundbreaking innovation, research, and lifestyle.
"We also understand that the best and brightest tech ideas aren't just born in the inner city of Sydney, so we are providing startup support to our future tech superstars right across the state."
Author of Pounder Review and Former Chair of the Tech Council of Australia, Kate Pounder said:
"This significant investment in innovation will cement NSW as a world leader in the tech sector.
"Most hearteningly, this money will also go where it is needed most - to female founders, and those from diverse cultures and backgrounds, as well as our budding tech giants living and working in Western Sydney and regional NSW."
CEO of Business NSW, Daniel Hunter said:
"This is a game-changing step forward for New South Wales.
"With a clear plan to streamline approvals and coordinate government agencies, the new Investment Delivery Authority is exactly what NSW needs to turn ambition into action.
"Coupled with the Innovation Blueprint and nearly $80 million in new funding, this initiative will help transform breakthrough ideas into global enterprises-fostering the next Atlassian or Canva right here in our backyard."
CEO & Managing Director of NEXTDC, Craig Scroggie said:
"In today's geopolitical environment, trust and sovereignty are economic assets. As a Five Eyes nation, Australia is uniquely positioned to lead the next industrial era, and New South Wales is stepping up to that role. The Investment Delivery Authority is about execution. It reflects a deep understanding of the five pillars now shaping global AI infrastructure: speed, scale, security, sustainability, and sovereignty.
"Speed and scale are the new currency of global leadership. The Authority creates a faster path from planning to execution - reducing friction, aligning government, and providing the regulatory certainty private capital requires. NEXTDC has over $15 billion in AI infrastructure projects planned across NSW - including AI factories, high-density data centres, and mission-critical operations centres. This reform allows us to build the digital backbone of the future - faster, and at global scale.
"AI infrastructure has outgrown traditional planning systems. These aren't just data centres - they're sovereign-scale assets designed to power the AI era. Conventional frameworks are now facing first-of-a-kind scale challenges. This reform clears the path for accelerated approvals and long-term certainty - unlocking the investment required to deliver national capability and positioning NSW as a global destination for next-generation digital infrastructure."
Managing Director, Corporate and International, AirTrunk, Carly Wishart said:
"Streamlining planning and approval processes for development permits and power allocation is essential if Australia is to capitalise on the data centre growth opportunity and become a smart economy.
"If Australia is to be a leading digital economy and build its own artificial intelligence capability, then it must have the necessary digital infrastructure and renewable energy needed to support it.
"AirTrunk welcomes the NSW Minns Government announcement in recognising that the race to build AI infrastructure is a global one and speed to build is the critical factor. We look forward to working with the Investment Delivery Authority to hasten planning processes, ensuring that NSW and Australia get the productivity boosting benefits of AI."
