Today’s NSW Budget lays the groundwork for deeper investment in people and communities

The New South Wales Council of Social Service (NCOSS) welcomes the additional investment in essential services and cost of living relief announced in today’s NSW Budget. At a time when many households are struggling with affordability of basic needs, these measures will provide some support for people doing it tough.

Today’s Budget provides a foundation that can be built on in future years. We welcome the Government’s recognition that strong communities require sustained investment in the services people rely on every day.

This Budget shows that the NSW Government has listened to concerns raised by the community sector and made targeted investments in areas of growing need. We warmly welcome the significant investment in domestic and family violence supports, providing a critical boost to support the stability of this essential sector. These investments will help services respond to rising demand and support more women and children access the help they need.

We strongly welcome the Government’s announcement that social service organisations will receive additional funding to cover the Fair Work Commission’s Award wage increase.

Today’s investment in our healthcare and education systems is a meaningful commitment to the public systems that communities depend on. When people can access timely, quality care, the whole community benefits. We applaud the long called-for increase in the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).

New school infrastructure is a chance to do things differently: to design spaces where education, health and social services work together from the start, not in silos. Children who enter school with unmet health and developmental needs face barriers that compound over time. NCOSS looks forward to working with the government to ensure that opportunity is realised, building on the announced $631.9m investment in Thriving Kids.

We note that this Budget has not included significant investment in early intervention. As NSW faces challenging economic headwinds, with cost-of-living pressures and worsening unemployment, NCOSS calls on the Government to prioritise care before crisis. We need to do what we can to protect those most vulnerable to economic shocks and a growing affordability crisis.

The Performance and Wellbeing Statement does not include a measurement of poverty, which is why NCOSS calls on the Government to include this in future years. Recent data released by NCOSS shows one in three households in poverty were pushed into poverty only in recent years – while 53 percent of households in poverty report they are in extreme housing stress.

Finally, the Budget has missed the opportunity to make much needed additional investment to address the growing housing and homelessness crisis which has disproportionately impacted vulnerable members of the community. This is at a time when the social housing waitlist has grown to more than 70,000 applicants including the highest number of people urgently in need of priority housing.

NCOSS CEO, Cara Varian, said cost of living relief is welcome at a time when many households are struggling to make ends meet.

“This Budget lays the groundwork for deeper investment in people and communities. It shows the NSW Government has listened to the essential community sector, and we look forward to working with them to prioritise care before crisis.

“When the community sector speaks with one voice, this Government listens. That partnership is exactly how good policy gets made- and we intend to hold the door open.

“We welcome measures that will ease some of the financial pressures on households such as toll relief, a cap on Opal fare increases, and the boost to IPTAAS funding, but the government could have gone further to invest in early intervention and prevention to stop more people in NSW falling through the cracks.

“There are missed opportunities in this Budget to address the root causes of inequality, including greater investment in preventative health strategies and social and affordable housing, at a time when the social housing waitlist is at an historic high,” Ms Varian said.