Source : the age
Good morning and welcome to our state budget coverage. My name is Emily Kowal and I’ll be with you all day as NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey prepares to hand down his fourth budget – and last before the March election – around noon.
Our reporters are pumped with caffeine, our highlighters are uncapped, and we are ready to dig into the bottom line.
Let’s jump into it!
Today is the Labor government’s last budget before the election, and comes at a time when the state is staring down a faltering economy, falling revenue and the rise of One Nation – on top of global uncertainty.
It has meant the lead-up to the budget has been marked by its lack of sizzle. While pre-election budgets are typically big spending affairs, Mookhey has made few significant announcements beyond a little toll relief, some health funding increases and a handful of new schools in growing suburbs.
The state has now had seven consecutive budget deficits since the disruptions of COVID-19 and at least one more is expected; that’s the longest spell of negative budget balances in the modern era.
Economics reporter Matt Wade and state political editor Michael McGowan sat down with the treasurer last week. You can read their report here.
In the lead-up to his election budget, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has been laying the groundwork for some sober reading. Here is what we know so far.
CRIME
- The NSW Crime Commission will receive an extra $17.4 million over four years, bringing 2026’s funding to $46.4 million, to compel more suspected criminals to attend hearings and to hire more analysts and forensics experts to investigate suspicious unexplained wealth.
HEALTH
- New hospital alert: The government has committed to funding a range of previously announced health infrastructure programs, including new hospitals at Rouse Hill ($910 million), Bankstown ($2 billion) and Eurobodalla ($330 million), as well as Fairfield Hospital’s redevelopment ($630 million), and additional beds for Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals ($120 million).
- Some $400 million will be poured into a hospital maintenance “blitz” that comes after a fungus cluster was implicated in the deaths of two transplant patients at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. It led to revelations about wider maintenance issues, including pigeon infestations causing cases of bird lice, and maggots dropping onto patients’ beds.
Some welcome news for Sydney motorists: the cap on tolls will be cut from $60 to $50 a week for 12 months as part of a suite of targeted cost-of-living measures to be unveiled by the Minns government in today’s budget.
The government will also scrap administration charges on toll notices as part of a deal with private motorway operators, set to come into effect next month. The fee on a toll notice has been $10, but doubled to $20 if not paid within 55 days. Under the changes, motorists will receive early text and email notifications without fees.
However, stronger enforcement measures will be applied to those who fail to pay tolls.
You can read the full story by Michael McGowan and Matt O’Sullivan here.
Good morning and welcome to our state budget coverage. My name is Emily Kowal and I’ll be with you all day as NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey prepares to hand down his fourth budget – and last before the March election – around noon.
Our reporters are pumped with caffeine, our highlighters are uncapped, and we are ready to dig into the bottom line.
Let’s jump into it!
