Month: June 2026

The NSW Liberals and Nationals will bring back the Regional Seniors Travel Card if successful at the 2027 election.
 
The Regional Seniors Travel Card will provide eligible seniors in regional NSW with a $250 prepaid card for fuel, taxis, and pre-booked train or coach tickets.
 
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said despite receiving more than 22,000 signatures on a petition to save the Regional Seniors Travel Card, Labor ignored regional voices and cut it anyway.
 
“One of Labor’s first actions when coming to government was to cut cost of living support relied upon by thousands of people across NSW. We know that with the increasing cost of fuel people are increasingly looking at ways to save, and we know that the Regional Seniors Travel Card will provide hip pocket relief,” Ms Sloane said.  
 
NSW Nationals Leader Gurmesh Singh said NSW is an incredible place to live, but there is no doubt the distance and isolation is a challenge especially for our seniors.
 
“An elected Liberals and Nationals Government will reinstate the card and ensure the most vulnerable members of our communities are not left without the support they deserve again,” Mr Singh said.
 
Established in 2020 by the former Liberal and Nationals Government, the Regional Seniors Travel Card saw more than 1.3 million people access more affordable transport before the program was axed by Chris Minns and Labor.
 
Shadow Seniors Minister Kevin Anderson said seniors living in the regions have fewer transport options than those in the city and deserve support to get to medical appointments, groceries, or connect with friends and family.
 
Shadow Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole said Labor’s scare campaign against the card will not be tolerated.
 
“This card is all about making daily life easier by helping ease the cost of living for regional seniors,” Mr Toole said.
 
President of the Grafton Senior Citizens, Brian Hall said members welcome the announcement that NSW Liberal and Nationals Government would reinstate the Regional Seniors Travel Card.
 
“For many seniors in regional communities, particularly pensioners, the rising cost of living is placing significant pressure on household budgets. The $250 Regional Seniors Travel Card helped ease that burden by assisting with essential travel costs,” Mr Hall said.
 
“Unlike people living in metropolitan areas, regional seniors often need to travel considerable distances to access medical appointments, specialist health services, shopping and other essential services. We simply don’t have the same services or public transport options on our doorstep.
 
“The return of the Regional Seniors Travel Card would provide practical support to older Australians living in regional NSW and help reduce the financial strain faced by many seniors on fixed incomes.”

An elected Liberal and Nationals Government will ensure that regional NSW gets its fair share of infrastructure funding with a Regional Infrastructure Guarantee of 25 per cent.
 
Essential infrastructure across regional NSW has fallen into disrepair after just three years of the Minns Labor Government.
 
Major roads are either closed, open in one direction, or too dangerous to drive on. In 2025, the NRMA estimated the regional road funding backlog was almost $3 billion; and that’s just council roads.
 
In 2026, the Auditor-General found that Labor used the Regional Roads Fund to upgrade metropolitan projects. The report found two projects were originally funded through the Urban Roads Fund and did not improve economic development in regional NSW.
 
Labor has refused to invest in critical water upgrades across regional NSW resulting in brown drinking water from taps and countless boil notices.
 
Our health infrastructure is crumbling, and Labor have kicked regional projects like the Albury Hospital down the road. Delays and maintenance issues are key features of Chris Minns’ infrastructure agenda.
 
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said the Regional Infrastructure Guarantee will improve access to clean drinking water across NSW, improve road safety, and allow regional villages, towns and cities to reach their potential.
 
“Our Regional Infrastructure Guarantee will mean towns in regional NSW will get their fair share. When it comes to hospitals and schools, water infrastructure, roads rail and bridges, we won’t see the regions left behind,” Ms Sloane said.

NSW Nationals Leader Gurmesh Singh said a quarter of all people in NSW live outside Greater Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong.
 
“All regional NSW asks for is a fair share, and under our government, that is what they’ll get,” Mr Singh said.
 
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Natalie Ward said the Minns Labor Government has no vision for our state, and we are seeing this through their neglect of regional NSW.
 
“Regional NSW is the backbone of our state’s economy. If trucks can’t transport the essentials across our state and if regional workers can’t get from A to B, the economy stops moving,” Mrs Ward said.
 
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals have a vision to build for the future, and that vision starts with ensuring the regions get their fair share of infrastructure investment.”

An elected Liberal and Nationals Government will fund a $300 million biosecurity and control program for the coordination and management of feral animals to protect our critical primary industries sector and conserve our environment.
 
Agriculture contributes approximately $25.5 billion per year to the NSW economy.
 
The sector is one of NSW’s most productive and important industries, yet farmers face a system weighed down by excessive regulation, rising costs, and decisions made far from regional communities.
 
Our record plan includes:

• Improved on-ground action and local coordination across all tenures with more boots on the ground;
• A shift to five-year funding for pest animal control programs, in line with the Natural Resources Commission’s recommendation;
• Increased funding for control programs, meaning more pigs are killed;
• More and better traps;
• Trial of a targeted bounty scheme for feral pigs;
• Aerial shooting over more country for longer periods;
• Thermal imaging and drone technology to detect and track pigs;
• Exclusion fencing to protect environmental and agricultural assets;
• Support for baiting, shooting and trapping programs;
• Increased legal requirements for public land managers to manage pest animals;
• More targeted research for biological and other novel controls;
• Establishing permanent regional rapid response teams to target outbreaks before populations expand.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said invasive species and biosecurity threats have become commonplace under Chris Minns and Labor.
 
“I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact of feral pigs on the farming sector, eating new-born lambs, damaging water sources, fences and pasture, and raiding agricultural crops,” Ms Sloane said.

“Without urgent action on biosecurity, our agricultural industries are at serious risk.”
 
NSW Nationals Leader Gurmesh Singh said under Labor’s watch, feral pigs and other invasive species are running rampant.
 
“Through commonsense measures, we are committing to reducing the number and impact of feral pigs across NSW,” Mr Singh said.
 
“Put simply, this investment means stronger biosecurity and less pigs.”
 
Shadow Minister for Agriculture Brendan Moylan said farmers are sick of reviews, reports and roundtables that end up gathering dust on Minister Moriarty’s shelf on Macquarie Street.
 
“We know feral pigs are causing enormous damage to crops, livestock and the environment. The time for talking has passed, it’s time to act, and that’s what we will do,” Mr Moylan said.
 
Shadow Minister for Environment Jacqui Munro said protecting and enhancing our high-value biodiversity starts with reducing invasive species that threaten native ecosystems.
 
“Australian wildlife and habitats are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of hoofed animals such as feral pigs and deer,” Ms Munro said.
 
“Regional landholders are some of our most important environmental stewards. By working with them, this plan delivers practical, on-the-ground solutions to manage invasive species, improve agricultural productivity and reduce environmental harm.”
 
Invasive Species Council CEO Jack Gough said invasive species are the number one driver of animal extinctions in Australia and one of the greatest threats to Aussie rivers and landscapes.
 
“Numerous reviews have found that pest management in NSW is unstrategic, short term and underfunded. This needs urgent change,” Mr Gough said.
 
“This $300 million boost is a serious proposal that means more boots on the ground and eyes in the field dealing with this worsening problem.
 
“The proposal to increase the legal expectations on public land managers for feral animals is also an important recognition that many crown land managers are failing to protect the environment and communities from feral animals.”

A joint letter by leading clinicians across NSW which raises urgent concerns about the Minns Labor Government’s three strikes drug driving policy, reinforces calls by the Liberals and Nationals to abandon the reckless change to road safety. 
 
Heads of trauma in major NSW hospitals and other specialists have co-signed the letter which says the policy is not supported by the medical evidence and should be withdrawn. 
 
The letter states the limit of 50 ng/ml permitted by Labor under their proposal: 
“…is not endorsed by any Australian or international peak clinical body. It is an administrative convenience that has been given the appearance of scientific authority it does not possess.”    
 
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said Labor’s policy puts lives at risk. 
 
“When experts are warning that this policy could cost lives, pressing ahead regardless would be an extraordinary act of recklessness,” Ms Sloane said. 
 
“The Government should stop pretending this is evidence-based reform, withdraw the three-strikes policy and work with clinicians, road safety experts and patient groups on a system that protects both road users and medicinal cannabis patients.” 
  
Shadow Minister for Roads Mark Coure said the Minns Labor Government must immediately adopt the recommendations in the letter. 
 
“What more does Labor need to convince them this is a dangerous policy that puts at risk the safety of every road user,” Mr Coure said. 
 
“Those prescribed medicinal cannabis also deserve a legal system that protects them and not one that can’t tell if they took their medication two hours ago or 12.”