Health, housing, and education were at the core of the 2023/24 NSW Budget, with the Bankstown electorate set to benefit from a range of funding announcements.
The first Budget handed down by Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and the Minns Labor Government sets out our government’s plan to start the work of repairing the budget in a sustainable way, to rebuild our essential services, and to help NSW families with the cost of living.

Communities in Bankstown, Greenacre, Punchbowl, Mount Lewis, Roselands, Wiley Park, and surrounding suburbs will benefit from headline investments including $1.3 billion for a new Bankstown Hospital, $3.3 billion for Sydney Metro City and Southwest, and $12 million to resurface Canterbury Road.

These communities will also benefit from a $60 weekly toll cap, which will commence on 1 January 2024, as well as a range of investments aimed at western Sydney.

 
These include:

• $3.5 billion for 24 new and 51 upgraded primary and high schools in western Sydney, including upgrades to Punchbowl Public School and Bankstown North Public School.
• Total of $2.4 billion in funding over four years for western Sydney roads.
• $3 billion in 2023-24 for new and upgraded hospitals across western Sydney, providing 600 new hospital beds.

The budget also delivers on an election promise to improve pay for frontline workers. More than 400,000 public sector employees, including teachers and nurses, will receive a 4.5 percent pay rise in 2023-24 – the biggest increase in a decade.
The Minns Labor Government is also committed to supporting communities across the state with cost-of-living pressures, with measures including:

• Expanded eligibility for the First Buyers Assistance Scheme.
  Pensioner Concession Rebate Scheme, which provides up to $250 on ordinary council rates.
• $500 fee relief per child for three-year-olds in long day care at eligible preschools.
• Bill relief extended to 1 July 2024 for families, seniors, and households struggling with household costs.
• Family Energy Rebate and Seniors Energy Rebate will both increase to $250.

The Budget is forecast to return to a modest $844 million surplus in 2024-25 after five years of deficits under the Liberals and Nationals. Achieving this remains a difficult task.

The 2023-24 Budget reduces the growth of debt by $14.8 billion by 2025-26. Reducing debt will save taxpayers $2.3 billion of interest, which will be redirected to supporting essential services.

Member for Bankstown Jihad Dib said:

“This Budget puts people at the centre. It is about building people’s access to health, education, and essential services.”
“The Bankstown community has been waiting patiently for big projects, like the Bankstown Hospital, to get underway, and we now have a commitment of $1.3 billion over the next four years.”
“We finally have funding committed to resurfacing Canterbury Road, and anyone who has driven this road knows how much this needs to happen.”
“There are thousands of frontline workers in the Bankstown electorate who will benefit from the historic pay rises we are giving public sector workers, such as teachers and nurses.”
“Western Sydney is growing, and I am proud to be part of the government that recognises the need for greater support for essential services and infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, roads, and trains.”