Shire Matters with Mark Speakman: A bad budget for NSW

There is record revenue for the NSW Government, including a 33% increase in State taxes revenue (over $3500 per household per year) over four years since the Minns Labor Government was elected. To paraphrase one commentator's observations into slightly more polite language, "the Government has been hit in the backside by a revenue rainbow".

However because of the Labor Government's financial mismanagement:

There was no extra cost of living support. This comes on top of the Government slashing Active Kids vouchers by 85%, slashing Creative Kids vouchers, slashing First Lap vouchers, slashing energy relief and axing back-to-school vouchers.

Investment after inflation in both hospitals and schools was cut for the second year in a row. This is already impacting hospitals and schools. For example, Labor's cuts have seen March quarter elective surgeries down 6.6% from the same quarter last year and down 13.9% on the December quarter; the number of patients spending less than four hours in emergency departments is the lowest since 2010; and there's a 16.9% increase in the number of people leaving emergency departments without treatment.

Budget deficits and increased debt are predicted for the next four years, with no prediction of a return to surplus. This is even though the Liberals had left the Budget with a return to surplus forecast for this financial year (independently verified by the Treasury Secretary) and revenue projections have improved since then.

By 2027-28, the State's interest bill will be double what it was under the Liberals.

By 2027-28, investment in health, education and transport infrastructure will be cut between 34% and 41%.

There is little money available to promote housing construction and supporting infrastructure.

There are no significant new projects for the Shire.

My team and I will continue to hold the Minns Labor Government to account for its financial mismanagement when people across NSW are doing it tough.