What the major parties have promised during the 2023 NSW election campaign

Chris Minns (left) and Dominic Perrottet (right) are still rolling out pledges ahead of this month's state election.  (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

Struggling to keep track of what the major parties promised to do during the NSW election campaign? 

Click on the policy areas below to see the differences between what the Coalition, and Labor have pledged to give you if they're voted in today.

Transport and infrastructure

Coalition

• The government has committed $1 billion to upgrade regional roads and the fast-track freight network as well as another $1 billion for Western Sydney road upgrades.
• A $500 million fund has been set up to help local councils across NSW fix potholes.
• The Coalition says it will spend $260 million to complete the final business cases for four new Sydney Metro routes:
  1. Tallawong to St Marys
  2. Macarthur to the Aerotropolis
  3. Westmead to the Aerotropolis
  4. Bankstown to Glenfield via Liverpool
• The incumbent government has committed $600 million in funding toward stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail project, with construction expected to commence in 2024
• The Coalition will also address severe bus driver shortages by recruiting more drivers from overseas and waiving training fees
• There will also be more than $350 million spent over the next four years to deliver 2,000 commuter car-parking spaces for residents in Beverly Hills, Como, Emu Plains, Edmondson Park North and Riverwood.

Labor

• The Opposition is promising $1.1 billion for road improvements across Western Sydney and regional NSW. This includes easing bottlenecks in Riverstone and Homebush and additional entry and exit ramps on the M1 at Dapto.
• It has also put $225 million on the table to build critical evacuation roads, bridges and levees across Western Sydney to protect communities from flooding.
• The Opposition has also promised to remove construction speed limits when work is not taking place to match rules already in place in Victoria and South Australia.
• Chris Minns has committed to completing two of the four Sydney Metro routes planned by the government. Labor argues the Tallawong to St Marys and Macarthur to Aerotropolis lines are the most critical given the population centres they will service.
• It says it will begin the procurement process for a new fleet to replace the Tangara trains in its first term, which entered service in the 80s and 90s.
• Labor says it will ensure the trains are built in NSW, creating at least 1,000 jobs.
• It has also promised to create an industry taskforce to improve bus services, and begin construction on stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail project in its first term of government.
• Labor promised to amend the NSW constitution to ensure Sydney Water and Hunter Water stay in public hands.

Health

Coalition

• The government says it will employ 10,000 additional healthcare workers over the next four years, if it's re-elected.
• It's also planning to spend $11.9 billion on new and upgraded hospitals including Concord Hospital, Bathurst Hospital, Liverpool Hospital, Rouse Hill Hospital, Cowra Hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Tweed Hospital.
• It's promised to spend another $1.7 billion over four years to hire almost 2,000 extra paramedics and create 30 new ambulance stations.
• And, in what would be an Australian-first, the Coalition has promised patients that they'll be able to visit their pharmacist for free contraceptive pill prescriptions and UTI treatments for a 12-month trial period.
• Another $7 million has been promised for further research into cancers of the female reproductive system.

• Women and families who experience miscarriage, pregnancy loss and stillbirth will be able to access support services over the phone, in person and online under a promised $2 million investment.

Labor

• Labor will not take a nurse-to-patient ratio to the election but has pledged to enforce a minimum number of nurses and midwives per shift in the state's hospitals.
• The Opposition claims it will employ an additional 1,200 nurses and midwives over four years, as well as 500 additional paramedics in regional NSW.
• Labor also says it will provide over 600 new hospital beds in Western Sydney by building a new 300-bed hospital in Rouse Hill, a new hospital in the Aerotropolis precinct and upgrading Canterbury and Fairfield hospitals. It also says it will increase capacity at Blacktown and Mr Druitt hospitals.
• It has also promised $70 million to build three new helicopter ambulance bases to reduce emergency health response times in regional and rural NSW.

Education

Coalition

• The government says it will spend $8.6 billion over the next four years on hundreds of new and upgraded schools. This includes a new school in Jordan Springs and a selective school at Westmead.
• A new school to service suburbs such as Austral, Leppington, Denham Court, Gregory Hills and Gledswood Hills has also been promised but a site has not been finalised.
• It's planning to continue a program to lighten teachers' workloads after 200 new administrative roles were introduced last month, while it has also promised 15,000 teachers will be offered permanent positions during 2023.
• There's also been a commitment to employ 600 high-achieving teachers in public schools over four years and a $253 million boost for the intensive learning support tutoring scheme which started during the pandemic.
• Last year the Coalition signed a 12-month agreement with the federal government which will deliver approximately 120,000 fee-free TAFE and vocational training places this year.

• It's also planning to build 500 new preschools, with 97 in Western Sydney and over 350 in regional areas.

Labor

• Labor says it will build 100 public preschools in its first term of government and invest $60 million in 50 new and expanded preschools at non-government schools.
• It is also planning to give 10,000 casual teachers permanent positions, and, conduct an audit of all administrative tasks teachers have to do in order to deliver a reduction in their workload.
• The Opposition has also promised to establish a permanent literacy and numeracy tutoring program, while new public schools have been promised for Melrose Park, Leppington, Dundas, Shoalhaven, Medowie, Gregory Hills and Gledswood and Sydney Olympic Park.
• Labor says it will establish TAFE manufacturing centres so every year, an extra 1,000 apprentices can be trained in skills like mechanical engineering and electrical fitting for free.

Environment

Coalition

• The Coalition has a $190 million five-year koala strategy which aims to double the number of koalas in NSW by 2050.
• The scheme will protect and restore 47,000 hectares of koala habitat by adding land to the national park estate and paying private landholders to protect habitat on their properties.

Labor

• Labor has promised $80 million to create an iconic Great Koala National Park on the Mid-North Coast between Kempsey and Coffs Harbour.
• It has also committed to a new Georges River Koala National Park on public land between Glenfield and Appin.

Energy

Coalition

• The Liberals and Nationals have promised to slash energy bills by $250 from July 1 through to December 31 as part of a $500 million scheme.
• The rebate will be available to every household that uses a Service NSW tool to compare their current energy deal, even if they don't switch plans.
• The Coalition has also promised to set up a $1.5 billion Clean Energy Superpower Fund to support the delivery of renewable energy storage and grid security projects, such as pumped hydro and batteries.

Labor

• An "energy relief fund" will shave $315 off the energy bills of eligible small businesses and $250 off the bills of all households receiving income support, for example, pensioners and family tax benefit recipients.
• Labor has promised to allocate $1 billion to a new state-run energy body to accelerate investment in renewable energy assets.
• It claims the new Energy Security Corporation (ESC) will partner with companies to develop renewable projects such as community batteries and energy storage through pumped hydro.

Housing

Coalition

• The government has promised to encourage new lease agreements with three and five-year terms in the hope of giving tenants increased security.
• Last year, the Coalition made it illegal for real estate agents to invite prospective tenants to increase their rent offers.
• Meanwhile, the Coalition says it will expand its land-tax policy to allow first homebuyers the choice of not paying stamp duty on subsequent property purchases, too.
• Increased protections for renters have also been promised by the Liberals and Nationals.
• Evictions for renters on periodic leases will have to be on "reasonable grounds" (although, what qualifies as reasonable is yet to be determined) and, the eviction notice period for renters on fixed-term leases will increase from 30 days to 45 days.

Labor

• The Opposition is planning on spending $722 million on a first homebuyers scheme which means stamp duty will be axed on properties up to $800,000 and discounted on properties up to $1 million.
• It says it will repeal the Coalition's stamp-duty reforms which passed last year and give first home buyers the option of paying stamp duty, or, a cheaper annual land tax.
• Labor also says it will outlaw evictions from rental properties unless they are on reasonable grounds. The party says these could include the need for the owner or their family to move into the property or for significant renovations to take place.
• A Minns government has also promised to ban secret rent bidding by mandating any offers above the listed price are made transparent to other applicants.
• And, it says it will make it easier for renters to have pets through a new application process requiring owners to have a reason to refuse a pet.
• The Opposition says it will also make a $30 million investment in a Build-to-Rent pilot to increase rental supply on the NSW south coast. 30 per cent of dwellings would be used for social, affordable and universal housing.
• It will also establish three sites for specialised long-term housing for people with mental illnesses and psychological disabilities. The first site will be on the Central Coast.

Cost of living

Coalition

• The Coalition's new toll relief rebate came into effect earlier this year.
• Drivers are able to claim 40 per cent of their tolls under the scheme, once they spend $375 in one year.
• The rebate is limited to a maximum of $750 and is estimated to reach half a million drivers.
• The Coalition will cap commuters' Opal card public transport costs at $40 a week rather than $50.

• Small businesses will get up to $1,000 over two years to cover government fees and charges like liquor licences and event fees.

• The government has committed to a "future fund" for children, which they will be able to spend on education or housing when they turn 18.

Labor

• Labor is planning to cap the weekly toll bill for a Sydney motorist at $60, if it's elected.
• The cap would benefit 51,000 drivers per week and would commence on January 1, 2024 and run for two years.
• Tradies and truck drivers using the M5 East and M8 would also have their tolls cut. Those who take two trips a day, five days a week will save a total of $3,800 a year.
• A Labor government would also appoint Professor Allan Fels AO, former chairman of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, to lead an overhaul of the toll network.

• Labor will abolish the 3 per cent public sector wage cap and negotiate on a sector-by-sector basis.

Women

Coalition

• In what would be an Australian-first, the Coalition has promised patients that they'll be able to visit their pharmacist for free contraceptive pill prescriptions and UTI treatments for a 12-month trial period. 
• Another $7 million has been promised for further research into cancers of the female reproductive system. 
• Five new permanent magistrates will be appointed to tackle the long delays to have domestic violence matters heard in local courts. 
• A review of all domestic violence sentencing and a feasibility study on a specific domestic violence court has also been pledged. 
• A $2 million program to help community organisations provide wraparound support for women trying to re-enter the workplace.

Labor

• $13.8 million has been allocated to boosting women's workforce participation. This includes a jobs academy for women to provide coaching and skills training as well as women's centre to deal with underpayment and sexual harassment in the workplace. 
• Labor says it will build a new specialist multicultural domestic and family violence centre in south-western Sydney. 
• It has also promised to double the funding for women's health centres and provide longer-term, five-year funding arrangements for domestic violence support services.
• An additional $923,000 a year for the NSW sexual violence helpline has been promised so an additional 25 counsellors can be employed.

Justice and laws

Coalition

• All pokies in NSW would become cashless by 2028 if the Coalition is re-elected.
• Cashless gaming will include several features to curb problem gambling including mandatory self-imposed limits and cooling-off periods, breaks in play, prohibiting the transfer of funds from credit-cards and prohibiting automatic top-ups.
• Both major parties have pledged to ban political donations from pubs and clubs around the state.

Labor

• The opposition has only committed to a trial of cashless gaming — not a full rollout — which would run for 12 months from July 1 and include at least 500 machines in both high-use metro areas and the regions.
• It would be overseen by an independent panel made up of representatives from law enforcement, gambling and health and would be covered by the $100 million penalty paid by Star Casino last year.
• Labor is also planning to reduce cash feed-in limits for pokies to $50, reduce the number of machines across the state by changing the way venues trade pokies, and, ban signage such as "VIP Lounge" which promotes areas where people can use gaming machines

Credits:

• Illustration: Georgina Piper and Emma Machan
• Design: Ben Spraggon and Georgina Piper

• Development: Colin Gourlay and Andrew Kesper