The latest tranche of the NSW Government’s drought relief measures aimed at getting help to rural communities as fast as possible.

We have stood with our farmers every step of the way – we are delivering more than $1 billion in drought relief measures and now we are taking it up yet another step to ensure our regional communities have a safe and secure water supply.

The NSW Government’s Safe and Secure Water Program ensures regional NSW communities have access to high-quality, reliable and affordable water that meets modern environmental and health standards.

The NSW Government has already invested $500 million from this program to secure Broken Hill’s long-term water supply through the Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline with the remaining $500 million to be dedicated to water security projects being fast-tracked under today’s announcement.

Under the updated program: The NSW Government will work with each local council on their infrastructure needs, rather than requiring them to go through an expensive and time consuming application process; 10 new engineers and 6 new infrastructure, planning and water security specialists will be deployed to help local councils to develop water security projects; Projects will no longer need to meet a rigid cost benefit ratio requirement as part of the assessment process; and Program funding will be prioritised to address the highest risks first, ensuring communities receive the infrastructure they need.

The NSW Nationals have outlined how the massive $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund will be spent in rural and regional areas. 

The funding will be spent on new ‘state-building’ infrastructure projects that deliver economic or social benefits to regional NSW. These projects will leave a legacy in our electorate through jobs, economic growth and a better quality of life.

The priority areas are: Water security – Dams and pipelines are a key priority and work is already underway on water security projects to enable NSW to better manage our most precious resource (including the Lake Rowlands to Carcoar 12km pipeline announced this week).

Rail and road passenger connectivity - New technology and track upgrades to provide faster passenger rail services. Freight linkages – New technology and track upgrades to provide faster freight rail services as well as expanding air freight capacity and infrastructure.

Regional digital connectivity – Exploring the development of regional data hubs, high capacity “backbone” data links from regional centres to Sydney, connectivity to help agribusiness improve productivity and better access to reliable data speeds that will help businesses save money and improve services through technology.

Special activation business precincts – Funding the next stages of the Parkes Special Activation Precinct investigations, including planning and environmental studies to make it quicker and easier for government to establish additional precincts.

These precincts provide ready for construction land, streamlined planning approvals and targeted financial incentives to attract interstate and overseas investors, creating new jobs and flow on business in regional NSW. 

This is transformational funding going towards big-picture projects which would not have been possible without the windfall from the Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund, negotiated by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government.