It's not often that I venture out from under my editorial rock to offer an opinion on current events, but feel I must this week following widespread reaction to the NSW Government's 2026-27 State Budget (budget), handed down on Tuesday, June 23.

When dozens of people yell "fire!" it's generally a sign that there is something serious going on, and critics have come out in droves following the release of what many consider to be a Sydney-centric, city-centric budget, offering little but "crumbs" for the regions.

“To say it missed the mark is an understatement,” Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders commented.

“It was a real ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ kind of budget for the Dubbo electorate, except there wasn’t actually anything in this budget to miss,” he added.

He wasn’t alone in voicing his concerns, with a raft of organisations, peak bodies and politicians equally critical of the budget. Let's look at the feedback.

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Some $ but not much

In a statement released on Wednesday, June 24, Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said regional and rural families will benefit from key initiatives in the budget, but there’s really not much to sing about.

A $100 discount on private vehicle registration fees and $80 for motorcycles will be welcomed, no doubt, but rural and regional residents can only expect an unspecified “share” of $557.1 million through the Home Energy Saver program to install energy-efficient appliances and reportedly cut power bills over time. How much is “a share”, exactly?

There’s $1 billion set aside for biosecurity measures targeting pests and weeds, but only $16.3 million targeting feral pig and deer control – a real problem in some regional areas. Hopefully the government doesn’t expect unwitting motorists to be the primary source of feral animal control.

And sadly, animal welfare will receive a piddling $13.7 million including grants to the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League for ongoing enforcement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act – something criticised by a NSW Upper House committee reporting on its 2025 inquiry into the operation of the approved charitable organisations under that Act.

In a statement on June 24, committee chair, the Hon. Mark Banasiak MLC, said the committee was concerned about the significant funding challenges the approved charitable organisations continue to face while performing their enforcement functions.

“The fluctuating amount of funding and its timing is putting the RSPCA NSW and Animal Welfare League NSW under great financial stress while they work to uphold this state’s criminal animal welfare laws,” he said.

While Minister Moriarty said nearly $3 billion is to be invested in new and upgraded health facilities for rural and regional communities across NSW, only $1.1 billion is allocated in 2026-27. When will the rest be coming?

And while it’s great that Grafton, the Hunter New England and the North Coast get money for different health projects, there’s no money coming to health services further west than Orange in her announcement.

Everyone is waiting to hear about repairs to the Great Western Hwy at Victoria Pass. While the announcement says funding is available, it doesn’t say how much is committed to a project that everyone west of the Blue Mountains is desperately waiting to see resolved.

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Crumbs for the bush

The Country Women's Association (CWA) of NSW says the budget reads like a plan for Sydney, with regional, rural and remote communities left searching for their share of a record spend.

State president Tanya Jolly said the Budget has confirmed what many in regional, rural and remote NSW have long suspected: that this government's commitment to bush communities runs deeper in rhetoric than it does in the actual allocation of public money.

"For years the CWA has been told that regional NSW is a priority for this government. Now we have the receipts. Billions for Western Sydney. Crumbs for the bush. The budget does not lie," she said.

"Rural communities are still struggling to see a doctor, still losing maternity services, still dealing with mobile black spots that have not moved in a decade. This Budget does not answer those problems. It does not even seriously attempt to."

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Infrastructure spend drop

NSW Nationals Leader and Shadow Minister for Regional NSW said regional NSW’s share of infrastructure spend will drop to less than 13 per cent.

Mr Singh said regional NSW sees the very real consequences of a lack of infrastructure funding through dangerous roads, worse health outcomes, inadequate housing, and poor water quality.

“Minister Aitchison’s social media makes clear that the government’s spending on regional transport and roads includes the M1 from Sydney to Newcastle, and half a billion dollars for Labor’s Sydney toll cap,” Mr Singh said.

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ESL reform needed

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said the NSW budget underlines why the government's inquiry into Emergency Services Levy (ESL) reform matters.

NSW households and businesses are set to pay $1.5 billion through the ESL in FY2026-27, the ICA said – a 66 per cent increase over 5 years – with insurance customers left to carry a growing bill that should be shared across the whole community.

NSW remains the only mainland state to fund its emergency services by taxing insurance customers. Why?

“Everyone in NSW benefits from the hard work of our emergency services, yet only those who buy insurance pay for them,” ICA CEO Andrew Hall said.

“A tax this size pushes people to cut back their cover or drop it altogether, which leaves more families and businesses exposed when the next flood or fire hits.

“The ESL adds around 18 per cent to the cost of a typical home insurance premium and around 34 per cent for commercial property, on top of stamp duty.”

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Farmers unhappy

NSW Farmers expressed deep concern that the 2026-27 NSW State Budget has failed to deliver the transformational investment the agricultural sector needs, as the State's farmers push toward a $30 billion industry by 2030 – a goal the government says it enthusiastically supports.

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said existing commitments for feral pig controls, the State’s Cattle Tick Program, regional roads and the AgSkilled program had been previously announced and the budget failed to address the sector’s overarching concerns.

"NSW farmers are dealing with cost-of-production shocks, natural disasters, failing local roads, a biosecurity system under siege and a rising tax burden – all at the same time," Mr Martin said.

"We will now be seeking binding, funded commitments from all parties ahead of the next NSW election."

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Per capita funding

Roy Butler MP, responsible for the electorate of Barwon that takes in half of NSW geographically, said the funding for regional areas is “disappointing” and the budget proves the need for per-capita funding to be quarantined for regional areas rather than being diverted to cover cost overruns on major Sydney projects.

“Some of the government’s cost-of-living measures … will help local people, but the toll roads relief and public transport fare freeze won’t do much in Barwon,” Mr Butler said.

“These token measures do nothing to address the major structural challenges faced by country people.

“Around one-third of the state’s population lives in regional areas, but regional areas are not receiving one-third of the government funding.”

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Vision and strategy needed

Dubbo is one of 15 regional cities across the state in an alliance called Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW). The alliance said the state budget fails to provide the long-term vision needed to unlock the full potential of regional NSW.

RCNSW Chair Cr Steve Krieg said cost-of-living measures and targeted investments in health, education, infrastructure and community services would make a meaningful difference for the communities receiving them.

“After a tough year of rising fuel prices hitting regional households and businesses hardest, support that reduces transport costs is genuinely welcome," Cr Krieg said.

The budget has a number of individual, one off investments for communities such as Broken Hill’s water infrastructure commitment, he added.

“Regional NSW deserves more than one off investments. This budget falls short of the long-term, coordinated regional strategy needed to address the pressures shaping life outside the city,” he added.

“Without that long-term strategy, we risk limiting regional NSW’s full contribution to the state at a time when we really need it,” he concluded.

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Get ready to vote

In case you were wondering, the next NSW state election is scheduled to take place on March 13, 2027. I’ll be ready with my popcorn…