The NSW Labor Government has handed down its budget, Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast, Keira MP Ryan Park providing an update on the details.
Relief for cost-of-living pressures
$100 off private vehicle registration, worth $435 million across 4.4 million vehicles, 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.
$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.
- Permanently abolishing 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 Illawarra and South Coast communities
Health is the largest single commitment in this Budget, in the Illawarra and the South Coast, this includes:
- $828.9 million for the new Shellharbour Hospital and integrated services including Warrawong Community Health Centre.
- $440.4 million for the Shoalhaven Hospital redevelopment.
- $330.0 million for the Eurobodalla Regional Hospital redevelopment.
- $220.0 million for the Wollongong Hospital and Health Precinct.
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.
Illawarra and South Coast nurses, midwives, teachers and police are among those benefiting from the high wage economy this Government is building.
Better schools, closer to home
The budget invests $9.2 billion statewide over four years for new and upgraded schools, of which $2.3 billion is for regional NSW. In the Illawarra and the South Coast, this includes:
- A new primary school in Worrigee
- A new high school in Flinders.
- The Illawarra Heavy Industry Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at TAFE NSW Wollongong.
This budget will also support a pay rise for 2,601 teachers across the Illawarra and the ongoing delivery of 10 fee free public preschools.
Transport and connectivity
- $270 million for transport connections to the port of Port Kembla.
- $186.1 million for the Mt Ousley Interchange.
- $21.9 million towards south-facing ramps on the M1 at Dapto.
- $17 million to plan for the redevelopment of WIN Sports and Entertainment Precinct.
- $16 million for Tripoli Way extension.
- $5 million to continue to deliver the Warrawong Parklands Seawall.
Safer Illawarra and South Coast 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.
