{"id":33347,"date":"2025-06-24T21:17:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=33347"},"modified":"2025-06-24T21:17:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:17:18","slug":"minns-labor-government-budget-delivers-for-the-central-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/06\/24\/minns-labor-government-budget-delivers-for-the-central-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Minns Labor Government budget delivers for the Central Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The third Minns Labor Budget is focussed on delivering on commitments for the Central Coast, building better essential services and the infrastructure we need while investing to grow the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This budget builds on the strong foundations we have already laid to ensure that we continue to build a better NSW for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve made a lot of progress, but there\u2019s much more to do. Budget commitments across major areas that will benefit the people of the Central Coast include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Working to ease pressures on our emergency departments with the continuation of the\u00a0<strong>$200 million\u00a0<\/strong>stage 3 redevelopment of the Wyong Hospital, including:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a new Carer Support Unit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nunyara Aboriginal Health Unit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women\u2019s Centre Clinics and workspaces for medical staff<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$6.4 million<\/strong>\u00a0for the Wyong Hospital\u2019s Cancer Day Unit expansion to ensure cancer patients can get treatment close to home<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$1.7 million\u00a0<\/strong>to expand NSW Pathology services at Wyong Hospital<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Works have commenced on the new Wyong Palliative Care Unit to support Central Coast residents in their final stages of life that will feature 12 patient bedrooms with ensuites,\u00a0 communal areas, meeting spaces and flexible outdoor spaces\u00a0 as part of the existing\u00a0<strong>$93 million<\/strong>\u00a0World Class End of Life Care program.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensuring locals get care quicker through the development of the New Lisarow Ambulance Station as part of the continuing\u00a0<strong>$615.5 million<\/strong>\u00a0NSW Ambulance Infrastructure Program<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pregnant women on the Central Coast to benefit from the\u00a0<strong>$83 million<\/strong>\u00a0in new funding to boost maternity across NSW, including:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Funding for an additional 53 midwives across regional local health districts, on the back of the successful recruitment of obstetricians and gynaecologists at Gosford Hospital and last week\u2019s reinstatement of the hospital\u2019s accreditation for obstetrics and gynaecology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivering\u00a0<strong>$864,138<\/strong>\u00a0additional funding for First Nations-led suicide prevention initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Improving secondary education on the Central Coast with upgrades to high schools in Lisarow and Narara Valley, delivered through the High Potential and Gifted Education School Partner Program.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continuing to deliver public preschools at the Tuggerawong and Umina Beach public schools as part of the NSW Government\u2019s commitment of 100 public preschools state-wide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$10.2 million<\/strong>\u00a0towards upgrading facilities and aligning course delivery across the three Central Coast TAFE campuses to align with the needs of the community as part of the TAFE NSW investment to fund critical investments to upgrade facilities, boost permanent teaching staff, and modernise campuses\u2014laying the groundwork for a more skilled and future-ready workforce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Transport and Roads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the next four years, the Budget contains funding through various NSW and Australian Government-funded projects, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Continuing the NSW Government\u2019s<strong>\u00a0$84 million commitment\u00a0<\/strong>to begin work on the<strong>\u00a0$420 million\u00a0<\/strong>Wyong Town Centre upgrade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$75 million\u00a0<\/strong>for the Terrigal Drive upgrade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$50.7 million\u00a0<\/strong>to continue the upgrade of Avoca Drive in Kincumber<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$47.8 million\u00a0<\/strong>to continue the Tumbi Road and Central Coast Highway intersection upgrade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$29 million\u00a0<\/strong>to continue planning and design for the Gosford Bypass<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$15 million<\/strong>\u00a0for the Empire Bay Drive Intersection Strategy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central Coast residents will also benefit from a\u00a0<strong>$150 million\u00a0<\/strong>state-wide investment to expand bus routes in regional areas and the outer suburbs of Sydney.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Planning, Housing and Infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Central Coast will benefit from the record\u00a0<strong>$3.4 billion investment in TAFE and skills funding<\/strong>, as part of the Government\u2019s plan to tackle the housing crisis that includes:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>$40.2 million<\/strong>\u00a0towards an additional<strong>\u00a023,000 fee-free construction apprenticeships\u00a0<\/strong>over the next two years<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$13.8 million Construction Workforce Package\u00a0<\/strong>to upskill\u00a0<strong>4,800 workers<\/strong>\u00a0into residential construction jobs over the next two years tobuild the skilled workforce needed to speed up delivery of much-needed more homes across the state<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$6 million<\/strong>\u00a0over two years to explore design and delivery of short-term public domain improvements for the Gosford Waterfront while continuing to investigate long-term planning for this prime area<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The NSW Government is making it easier to deliver more homes on the Central Coast by extending tax concessions for new build-to-rent housing developments; and releasing draft guidelines to speed up the delivery of homes and infrastructure through works-in-kind agreements with developers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$10,000\u00a0<\/strong>grant for eligible Central Coast first home buyers of a newly built house, townhouse and apartment below $600,000 or land and new house package below $750,000.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cost of Living<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Central Coast residents will benefit from a number of budget measures to help households with cost-of-living pressures, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Energy bill relief that extends the\u00a0<strong>$150<\/strong>\u00a0payment to the end of 2025 for all Central Coast households and eligible small businesses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assistance for eligible Central Coast residents to pay their energy accounts and energy rebates for eligible concession card holders, Family Tax Benefit recipients, seniors and others who rely on mechanical and life support equipment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Water rebates for eligible Central Coast pension and the Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs card holders and community organisations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Around\u00a0<strong>30 per cent\u00a0<\/strong>discount on the upfront cost of installing small-scale battery systems through the Cheaper Home Batteries Program for eligible Central Coast households and small businesses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Doubling the incentive with up to\u00a0<strong>$1,500 discount<\/strong>\u00a0to set up a virtual power plant<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increased solar battery discount from 1 July 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expanded free access to NSW National Parks for all our Central Coast Commonwealth Veteran Card holders as part of\u00a0<strong>$5.3 million<\/strong>\u00a0funding to give NSW veterans a free pass where a vehicle entry fee applies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In addition, the Government has reached multi-year pay agreements with employees including school and TAFE teachers, police, correctional officers, school support staff and paramedics (including those in the Central Coast). This is on top of the biggest pay increase to public sector workers in over a decade in 2023-24.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Minns Labor Government is continuing to build a better NSW by this year focussing on delivery of our election commitments to the Central Coast community and investing in our people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been working meticulously to deliver better essential services that people rely on, to build the homes and infrastructure we need and investing to grow the economy to continue setting up our fast-growing region for long-term prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for the Hunter and Member for Swansea, Yasmin Catley said<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis budget delivers for our residents in the Central Coast \u2013 investing in the essential services we rely on, building the infrastructure we need, and supporting families doing it tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhether it\u2019s better healthcare, more preschool places for our young families, or critical upgrades to our local roads \u2013 this is a budget that puts the Central Coast first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve made significant progress since coming to government \u2013 but we know there\u2019s more to do, and this budget keeps us moving in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Member for The Entrance David Mehan said<\/strong>:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLabor\u2019s third budget continues our work to rebuild our essential public services and deliver on the promises made in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Minns Labor Government\u2019s third budget is all about building on the groundwork already laid for a brighter future for our Central Coast, investing in essential services while navigating responsible financial management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter over a decade of budget mismanagement by the former Liberal-National government, this budget continues to make meaningful investment in the foundations of our community, upgrading major roads, strengthening emergency services, and improving education for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy investing in the services that our community depends on, the Minns Labor Government is reinforcing the strong foundations we have already laid, working towards a fairer, stronger, and more prosperous NSW for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The third Minns Labor Budget is focussed on delivering on commitments for the Central Coast, building better essential services and the infrastructure we need while investing to grow the economy. This budget builds on the strong foundations we have already laid to ensure that we continue to build a better NSW for all. We\u2019ve made &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/06\/24\/minns-labor-government-budget-delivers-for-the-central-coast\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Minns Labor Government budget delivers for the Central Coast&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33348,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33347\/revisions\/33348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}