newy.com.au – Hunter families are set to receive cost-of-living relief alongside major spending on hospitals, schools and roads under the 2026 NSW Budget, with the government arguing the region is getting its share of statewide investment while household pressures remain high.
The Budget, released on Wednesday, includes a mix of statewide relief measures and Hunter-specific infrastructure funding, including major commitments for John Hunter Health and Innovation, Cessnock Hospital, Muswellbrook Hospital, new and rebuilt schools, and several key road projects.
Private vehicle owners will receive $100 off registration, while motorcycle owners will receive an $80 cut. The measure excludes caravans and trailers and is budgeted at $435 million across 4.4 million vehicles. The government says the saving is aimed at households in areas such as the Hunter, where many residents rely on cars, utes and longer commutes.
The Budget also includes $557.1 million for the Home Energy Saver program, offering interest-free loans and discounts for energy-efficient appliances, and a $1,000 cost-of-living payment for more than 120,000 NSW Government employees. The payment was triggered after Sydney CPI growth exceeded 4 per cent between the March quarters of 2025 and 2026.
Other statewide measures include cutting the weekly toll cap from $60 to $50 for 2026-27, permanently abolishing toll administration fees from July and holding Opal fares at 2025 prices for the year.
Health is the largest single area of spending in the Budget, with the NSW Government saying a $10.3 billion increase in health funding over four years, delivered with the Australian Government, will recruit 9000 more health workers and fund about 2900 additional planned surgeries a year.
The Budget also includes $11.9 billion for health infrastructure across NSW, covering 32 new and upgraded hospitals and more than 2500 beds. Nearly $3 billion of that is for regional hospitals and health facilities over the next four years.
In the Hunter, the health commitments include $890 million for the John Hunter Health and Innovation project, $138 million for the Cessnock Hospital redevelopment and $45 million for Stage 3 of the Muswellbrook Hospital redevelopment.
Nurses and midwives are also set to receive what the government describes as the largest pay rise in more than 20 years, and the largest ever for enrolled nurses, backed by an additional $2.9 billion in the Budget.
Education spending includes $9.2 billion statewide over four years for new and upgraded schools, with $2.3 billion allocated to regional NSW. Hunter projects include new primary and high schools at Huntlee, a new primary school and co-located early learning at Chisholm, a new public high school at Medowie, and the rebuilding of Maitland Grossman High and Thornton Public School.
The Budget also includes investment in the Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at TAFE NSW Tighes Hill.
Road and transport funding remains a major focus, with the government pointing to more than $5.5 billion in investment across the Hunter. Projects include $390.5 million to complete the M1 to Raymond Terrace extension, $258.2 million to continue the Muswellbrook Bypass and $119.1 million to complete the Singleton Bypass.
Other transport commitments include $90 million in new funding to upgrade the M1 Pacific Motorway between Wahroonga and Beresfield, $87.4 million towards the Nelson Bay Road upgrade, $39.5 million to complete duplication of the Thornton Rail Bridge, and $38.8 million to complete the final stage of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass from Rankin Park to Jesmond.
The Budget also provides $20 million for Hillsborough Road upgrades, $12.1 million for Speers Point intersection and network improvements, and $9.6 million to continue planning for the future upgrade of John Renshaw Drive.
The government has also included $184.1 million for six frontline domestic and family violence programs, saying domestic and family violence is disproportionately higher in rural and regional areas. The funding represents a 50 per cent increase phased in over four years and is aimed at helping more women, children and people affected by violence access specialist support.
Community workers will receive a 4.75 per cent pay increase under the Fair Work Commission determination, while emergency services funding includes $470.1 million over 10 years to transfer the state’s red fleet from councils to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the Budget was aimed at balancing immediate relief with longer-term investment.
“Plain and simple, this Budget is about relief, reform and discipline.
“The Hunter is not asking for special treatment. We are asking for our fair share, and this Budget delivers it: better hospitals, better schools, better roads and real cost-of-living relief for local families.
“This is a Budget that understands the Hunter, and our region deserves a government with the discipline to invest where it matters, not waste money, not sell off public assets, and not walk away from essential workers.
“We are delivering relief today, reform for tomorrow, and the discipline needed to secure the future of NSW.”
The government says the spending has been made possible by decisions over the past three years to strengthen the state’s finances, while maintaining public ownership of assets and avoiding a return to a public sector wages cap. It says the Budget continues the work of returning NSW finances to surplus in 2027-28.
