NSW Budget 2024-2025 focused on delivering homes, Infrastructure, schools + the Manly-Wakehurst-Pittwater allocations
''In this Labor budget we continue with our plans to bust the wages cap, reform tolls, back first home buyers, build new and better public schools and hospitals, speed up the renewables revolution, rebuild rural and regional roads, help small businesses and wrangle debt back under control.
But I can report to this House that more progress is possible.
Careful management of the public's finances means we can afford to accelerate change.
We can do more to prevent family violence. And we can do more to support the victim-survivors of family violence.
We can do more to help people visit their GP. And we can surge more resources into our emergency departments.
As for housing—
We can expand homelessness services to curb growth in the number of people who are unhoused.
We can build homes for key workers to rent. Homes close to the schools, hospitals and police stations where they work.
And we can make the biggest ever investment in social housing, by New South Wales, in the State's history.
Especially for women and children needing to escape family violence.
While also making the biggest investment ever in fixing the homes people are already living in.
The Minns Labor Government is determined to build a better New South Wales. To deliver the fresh start this State voted for.
Today I intend to set forth the next steps we will take to fulfil that mission.
Beginning with the housing crisis.''
As anticipated, the Treasurer handed down a conservative budget for 2024-25, reflecting the state’s ongoing struggle with post pandemic and natural disaster budget repair, persistent inflation and a deepening housing crisis.
As stated by Premier Chris Minns in 2023, there is a focus on repairing regional roads impacted by natural disasters and getting a roof over peoples heads, inc;luding women and children who are in peril have somewhere to flee to.
The Government announced $5.1 billion over four years to build 8,400 social housing dwellings, with 6,200 of these to be new builds (and the remainder rebuilds). At least half of these new homes will be prioritised for victim survivors of family and domestic violence.
Also announced is $245 million for domestic, family and sexual violence services, including $48 million for specialist workers and $45 million to improve bail laws and justice system responses.
The government has allocated $3.3 billion to help communities affected by floods to recover by repairing local and state roads. Over $630 million goes to delivering new and safe housing in the Northern Rivers and Central West, including $525 million to support voluntary buy-backs, raisings, repairs and retrofits.
There is also $207.3 million available for emergency responses, including more firefighters and $2.4 million for the state-wide Disaster Response Legal Service.
The government has committed to delivering 21,000 new homes by releasing surplus government land. The homes will be built by a mixture of government agencies and the private sector.
Government agencies will get first choice of the sites to deliver social, affordable and essential worker housing. Other sites will be developed in partnership with the private sector but the government has not said how the sites will be allocated.
Forty-four sites have been identified. Most are located in Sydney but the exact locations have not been revealed as yet.
On the obverse, Land tax thresholds are to be increased for the 2024 land tax year and then maintained at that level. The halt in indexing will mean people who own investment properties and holiday homes will need to pay land tax once their property values exceed $1.075 million.
These changes are expected to deliver an additional $1.5 billion in budget revenue over the next four years.
Additionally, foreign investors will now have to pay a 9% surcharge, up from 8%, and a 5% land tax surcharge, up from 4%on residential properties.
These two measures will raise $188 million in additional revenue.
The new land tax threshold, together with a strong property market has delivered $4.1 billion more in revenue for transfer duty and $5.6 billion in land tax.
The government is also spending $520 million to speed up the planning system. Councils will be incentivised to meet and beat their housing targets with a $200 million sweetener to help councils deliver roads, parks and community facilities.
Also listed are:
- Bulk-billing support, which means GPs who bulk-bill 80 per cent or more of their patients will not be charged payroll tax, incentivising them to provide affordable healthcare. It will cost $188 million over four years;
- $481 million over four years for an emergency department relief package, including urgent care services to keep people out of hospitals;
- $112 million over four years to support community mental health and wellbeing initiatives, as well as $130.9 million for programs to boost lifelong maternal and child health;
- $1 billion for roads around western Sydney’s new airport set to open in 2026;
- $528 million for homelessness services and $224 million to rebuild the state’s foster care system. Did you know homelessness doubled over the past year on the beaches? And that is just what we can see.
- NSW Rental Taskforce will receive $8.4 million. The taskforce will work with Fair Trading NSW and be led by the NSW rental commissioner, who has the power to crack down on poor quality properties and dodgy landlords.
- Essential workers struggling with rising grocery prices will receive a $1,000 cost-of-living adjustment to protect essential workers against any unexpected “substantial” increase in inflation.
- Charity Royal Far West will receive $2.3 million to provide specialist wellbeing services for regional children with complex development concerns.
- Casual teachers at TAFE NSW will be converted into full-time staff, costing $83.1 million over four years.
- The Future Women Jobs Academy program, aimed at increasing women’s participation in the workforce, at a cost of $5.8 million.
- Fee-free training for new apprentices and trainees will continue, at a cost of $16.3 million.
- The Building Commission NSW, established in December, will be allocated a $35 million annual budget.
Local allocations run below.
Manly Electorate allocations
Member for Manly, James Griffin has slammed the NSW Budget for its lack of empathy towards those on ‘Struggle Street’, who are wrestling with the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Griffin said the Budget shows the Minns Labor Government will collect more revenue than any previous NSW Government yet doesn’t offer a cent for new cost-of-living support.
“We hear, ‘Life is not meant to be easy’, but was it really meant to be this hard?
“Certainly, the Minns Labor Government’s failure to provide any new cost-of-living relief is not helping,” Mr Griffin said.
Families are especially hard hit following the Government’s earlier withdrawal of Back-to-School vouchers, which were introduced by the Liberals and Nationals to provide $150 per year, per child to assist with the cost of school supplies, uniforms, and technology.
The Labor Government’s restrictions on the eligibility for Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers have also made it difficult for many families to give their children the opportunity to more fully develop their talents and abilities.
“If the Government couldn’t introduce new, innovative ways to provide cost-of-living support, then at least it could have reintroduced what it had taken away,” Mr Griffin said.
“Thankfully the Government hasn’t slashed funding to the North Head Treatment Plant.”
The Budget has allocated more than $24 million to Sydney Water for the ongoing upgrade of the facility, the North Head Wastewater Treatment Plant Biosolids Amplification, and more than $33 million for ongoing minor works.
See August 2023 report; Sydney Water's North Head facility to increase fertiliser production for farmers
Almost $3 million has been committed to the ongoing upgrade of the Manly Village Public School, while $350,000 is dedicated to the ongoing employment of 14 school crossing supervisors.
More than $25,000 has also been allocated towards the upgrade of social housing in the Manly electorate.
Mr Griffin said, “The allocations are welcome but so much more could have been done.”
“We deserve a government that is far better at seeing the needs of people and meeting them.” Mr Griffin said.
Wakehurst Electorate Allocations
Member for Wakehurst Michael Regan, hosting Premier Chris Minns in a visit to Cromer prior to the announcements of June 18, lists:
$1 million for upgrades to NBSC Cromer Campus: Being one of only a handful of new Major Works commitments for public schools state-wide, I’m very glad to see the upcoming indoor sport facility’s construction in NBSC Cromer Campus formally in the Budget’s plans.
Staying Home, Leaving Violence: ''I was very pleased to secure $48m in the Budget to implement the successful ‘Staying Home Leaving Violence’ program across Northern Sydney, in addition to 36 other remaining LGAs across the state.
Wakehurst Parkway Upgrades: This year, $9.9m in funding allocations continue to support major upgrade plans to the Wakehurst Parkway.**
Electric Buses in Wakehurst: The Zero Emissions Bus Program has received $26m in funding, with Wakehurst-bound fully electric buses rolling out of Brookvale depot in early 2025.
Construction of Forest High School: This year, $83 million has been allocated to complete the construction of the new Forest High School in Allambie Heights, aimed to open in late 2025.
Bus tracking: My office receives a lot of complaints from bus passengers about the Transport for NSW app, so I am heartened to see an investment of $157m in the next generation of the ‘Opal’ system, with an addition $4m allotted to the Bus Transport Management System, which will ensure better live bus tracking and user experience on our public transport.
Pittwater Electorate Allocations
Member for Pittwater Rory Amon has issued no official statement on what has been allocated to the electorate of Pittwater in the 2024-2025 NSW Budget. However, the 2024-2025 NSW Budget has announced a $5.5 million allocation towards the Mona Vale Road West project, McCarrs Creek Road to Powder Works Road.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson confirmed on Friday June 21:
''The budget allocation for the Mona Vale Road West upgrade is for Transport for NSW to continue finalising the detailed design to support future delivery of the project.
The Mona Vale Road East upgrade project includes the construction of a 950-metre long embankment on the northern side of the road next to Tumburra Street at Ingleside. This road embankment will be landscaped to minimise soil erosion in preparation for any future Mona Vale Road West upgrade.''
On November 8 2023 Infrastructure NSW released the updated NSW Major Infrastructure Pipeline and the 2023-2024 State Infrastructure Plan. The 2023-2024 State Infrastructure Plan outlines drivers and market context for the NSW Government’s infrastructure program over the next five years. It provides project specific information to support transparency to industry via the NSW Major Infrastructure Pipeline.
The Mona Vale Road West upgrade project was deferred for two years following the 2023 NSW Independent Strategic Infrastructure Review.
Listed on page 21 of the 2023-2024 State Infrastructure Plan document is the Mona Vale Road West upgrade, McCarrs Creek Road to Powder Works Road showing Procurement will commence in the final Quarter of 2025 and be completed in the first Quarter of 2026, with Construction of the works to commence in the second Quarter of 2026 and be completed by the second Quarter of 2029 (estimated completion dates).
That which overlaps with Wakehurst is the $72.4 million for Wakehurst Parkway as the Estimated total cost for works to the Parkway, as listed in the 2024-2025 Budget Infrastructure document.
** $7.903m has been allocated in 2024-25 - $9,397m is listed in the Infrastructure document as estimated expenditure to June 30 2024.
After the Transport for NSW consultation that took place in late 2023 on Wakehurst Parkway improvements the project webpage states if approved, construction is planned to start in 2024 and will take about two years to complete, weather permitting.
Also allocated under the Infrastructure 'Connecting Sydney Roads - Upgrading the Sydney road network to support population and employment growth in Sydney'. Key projects include:
- Warringah Freeway Upgrade - Continuing upgrades of the Warringah Freeway for surface roads, bridges and interchanges along 4 kilometres of the freeway corridor, which started in early 2022. Estimated total cost: $2.0 billion. Expenditure over four years to 2027-28; $788.0 million
Narrabeen North Public School and Narrabeen Sports High School Upgrades are listed under ongoing and upgrade works with $43.079million listed as the Estimated Expenditure to June 30 2024 and $1.146m allocated in the 2024-25.
The total estimated cost of these works is $53.9 million, scheduled to be completed in 2025, which would require a further $9million allocation in the 2025-26 NSW Budget based on the documents figures.