Visiting Dubbo on Monday, representatives of the conservative think tank talked to local residents and business owners about their concerns around the net zero emissions policies being championed by both major parties in the lead up to the state election.

"We're on a series of tours around regional Australia and this time round we're visiting Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange and Mudgee," said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.

"We want to get an understanding from the locals on the ground as to what they're thinking about ahead of the upcoming election, particularly as it relates to that city and regional divide and energy and climate policy."

In the IPA's survey of 1,095 voters across four key regional seats - Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo and Upper Hunter - 52 percent said they would vote for an independent or minor party in the upcoming election.

Less than a third - 32 percent - said they would vote Nationals and only 13 percent said they planned to vote for the Labor party. Two percent of respondents remained undecided.

Mr Wild said the data from the survey is consistent with what he heard from voters on the ground in terms of a "disillusionment" with both major parties.

"There's a decent number of people who feel that their local members - at a state and federal level - are doing the bidding of the cities rather than actually giving a voice to the concerns of those on the ground," he said.

"Particularly when you look at things like the wind farms getting built on farmland. Different people have different views on that some people are in favour and some people are against."

"But it's a very divisive issue and there's a sense that the local members are not hearing those that are concerned about what that means."

According to the IPA's survey, only one in four agreed that the major political parties in NSW "represent and understand the interests and concerns of their local community".

Almost three quarters - 72 percent - agreed with the statement; "city-based members of parliament take regional NSW for granted."

"There's a perception that decisions are being made by state governments and regional communities are just being told 'this is going to happen' and 'this has to happen'," said Mr Wild.

"They don't feel they have an opportunity to participate or to be consulted on something that's having a big effect on their area. They feel projects are being pushed onto them and don't understand why this is being done."

The IPA's regional tour comes off the back of research they conducted into potential job losses as a result of net zero policies being put forward by both major parties. They estimate these policies could put 10,000 jobs at risk in the Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst electorates.

"All the flow on industries would be affected as well - retail is a really big one," he said.

"Dubbo is in a good position because it has a reasonably diversified economic base so it is a pretty healthy town - but it's not immune from this problem where - if you lose 1,000 mining jobs - you have a flow on where people move out and retail shops start shutting down."

"It leads to a boom and bust cycle that regional towns want to avoid."

The coalition government in NSW is already working towards an "aspirational" target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with treasurer Matt Kean announcing in December the state was on track to achieve a 70 percent reduction in emissions by 2035.

He says renewable energy zones provide a "significant investment" into rural parts of the state and estimates the new target will attract more than $39 billion in private investment and support 13,000 new jobs.

Meanwhile, the Labor party says - if elected into government - they will introduce a private members' bill to legislate and set in stone the state's net zero by 2050 emissions target.

They will also establish a Net Zero Commission who would develop the plan to net zero by 2050, monitor and review the plan and trajectory, including impacts on jobs and industry, as well as energy prices.

Mr Wild said, with both major parties taking net zero targets into the next election, voters who had concerns around the impact on jobs were left with "little choice".

"NSW is facing a regional jobs crisis, courtesy of the emission reduction policies both major parties are taking to the March state election, leaving voters with little choice," he said.

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