The NSW Nationals want to keep NSW moving and to do that we need roads, rail, and ports – both air and sea – to continually improve.
The Nationals have held the transport portfolio in the state and federal governments for years and have delivered important road upgrades, as well as secured the construction of the landmark Inland Rail project. We know how important it is for people and freight to move freely and safely through our state, keeping us connected to each other, interstate and internationally.
The NSW Nationals are the party of big infrastructure projects – such as Duplicating the Great Western Highway – that drive real economic development, and we have a proven track record of delivering large scale projects in government to keep NSW moving.
Regional Seniors Travel Card
The NSW Nationals introduced the Regional Seniors Travel Card in 2020 to help older Australians living outside the big cities meet their travel costs. Metropolitan seniors enjoy taxpayer-funded public transport, but this is often not available in regional, rural, and remote areas.
The $250 per year travel card can meet costs associated with transport in regional areas and was made available through ServiceNSW.
Repairing regional roads and bridges
The NSW Nationals in Government have delivered over $19.5 billion for road funding in regional NSW and supported local councils with over $3 billion in road funding during our first two terms in government. We are delivering safer roads, improving travel times, and boosting freight productivity across NSW. But we recognise more needs to be done.
The NSW Nationals in Government are investing an additional $1 billion in fixing local roads and bridges. We are also in the process of taking back up to 15,000km of the ‘Regional Road’ network in regional NSW to ease the burden on local ratepayers and ensure regional road networks are brought to an acceptable standard.
Regional rail fleet
The NSW Nationals in Government have signed a contract to design, build, finance and maintain the new regional rail fleet, along with a new purpose-built maintenance facility in Dubbo to help stimulate regional economies.
We are delivering on a commitment to build a first-class rail fleet for passengers travelling in regional NSW. The new rolling stock will replace the existing XPT, XPLORER and Endeavour trains, some of which are close to 36 years old and nearing the end of their lifespan. This is one of the most exciting transformations of passenger rail in NSW for decades, improving how people travel in the regions and making sure that investment goes straight back into regional economies.
Regional airfares
Flights from Sydney to regional NSW are an expensive but necessary part of life for many in our communities where public transport is sometimes a luxury. Air travel in Australia is already the 12th most expensive in the world.
We believe in fair fares for all to ensure our essential workers can get around our vast state, patients requiring specialist care can get to appointments, encourage regional tourism, and keep our communities connected.
Our vision is to work with airlines and across government sectors to bring down the price of air travel for regional Australians.
