Regional leaders say NSW Budget leaves little for regional communities to celebrate

The 2026–27 New South Wales State Budget has drawn criticism from agricultural and regional organisations, which say it fails to deliver the investment needed to support country communities and grow the state's agricultural sector.

NSW Farmers has labelled the budget a missed opportunity, arguing it fails to deliver the investment needed to achieve the industry's target of becoming a $30 billion sector by 2030.

Organisation President Xavier Martin acknowledged the positive elements, including funding for feral pig control, the state's cattle tick program, regional roads and the AgSkilled program, but said those initiatives had already been announced and did little to address the sector's broader challenges.

He said farmers continued to face rising production costs, natural disasters, biosecurity threats, deteriorating local roads and increasing tax pressures all at the same time, and described the measures outlined in the budget as a "recycled response that does nothing to address the issues that matter most".

He added that NSW Farmers had presented the government with a fully costed roadmap to grow the agricultural sector through investment in research and development, biosecurity, water infrastructure, freight rail, land use planning and workforce development.

"Agriculture is an economic powerhouse, contributing more than $25 billion to the NSW economy and supporting tens of thousands of jobs in our regions," Mr Martin said.

Moving forward, Mr Martin said, NSW Farmers would continue to push for greater investment in the sector, with the organisation seeking funded commitments from all major parties ahead of the next state election.

The Country Women's Association of NSW has also offered it critiques, describing this year's budget as a plan focused on Sydney rather than regional, rural and remote communities.

State President Tanya Jolly said the budget confirmed concerns that regional communities were not receiving the level of investment required.

"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.

Ms Jolly said regional communities continued to face challenges including doctor shortages, the loss of maternity services, mobile black spots and limited access to childcare.

"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," she said.

The organisation also raised concerns about regional roads, education and essential services, arguing country communities were seeking equal access rather than special treatment.

"Regional communities are not asking for special treatment. They are asking to be treated as though they matter, with the same access to healthcare, education, childcare and essential services that city residents take for granted," Ms Jolly said.

Similar concerns were raised by Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, who said while the budget provides funding for several ongoing projects across her electorate, it delivers little new investment for key regional priorities.

"On balance, it's a disappointing budget for the people of the Cootamundra electorate," Ms Cooke said.

While welcoming funding to continue several projects across the electorate, including the Temora Hospital redevelopment, Cowra Hospital upgrades, the Mundarlo Bridge raising project, social housing improvements and Boorowa's new public preschool, Ms Cooke said the budget failed to deliver funding for several long-standing priorities.

Among the projects left unfunded were new health infrastructure for Coolamon, Cootamundra and Grenfell, the Narrandera Water Treatment Plant, the Boorowa pipeline and the William Bradford Bridge project on the Burley Griffin Way.

Ms Cooke also welcomed the Budget's new cost-of-living support measures, such as vehicle registration discounts, but said overall there was little else in the line-up for regional communities to celebrate.