That's the verdict from Regional Development Orana chairman John Walkom who works with communities in a 199,000-square kilometre area, extending from the Warrumbungle Ranges in the east to Cobar and Bourke in the west and north to the Queensland border.

Mr Walkom said the $594 million boost to the inland freight rail link through Victoria, NSW and Queensland was the stand-out positive in Treasurer Scott Morrison's election-eve budget.

"The rail link has been a long time coming and it is encouraging that the current federal government has continued to make a financial commitment to a project that is an important plus for our region," Mr Walkom said.

"This latest funding allocation will allow for land to be purchased along the corridor. The rail link is all about having connectivity, boosting productivity and being able to get products to market at a competitive rate."

Mr Walkom welcomed attention paid to water infrastructure, with a $2 billion loan scheme for dams and pipelines, and incentives to assist unemployed youth and women seeking to return to the workforce.

"Our region's jobless rate is lower than the national average but we definitely need to help young people with job preparedness," he said.

"There are some serious employment skill gaps in the Orana region, particularly in the service industry in the delivery of things like aged care, allied health and hospitality."

Mr Walkom was disappointed the budget did not direct more money to regional infrastructure.

He said in the western part of the Orana region more than $1 billion was needed to upgrade roads in local government areas.

"There are certainly good things happening in regional NSW and regional Australia but we still have some serious infrastructure backlogs," Mr Walkom said.

"The state and federal governments are trying to make improvements but there is still a long way to go."