NSW budget winners and losers: commuters, gambling operators and shark control

Public transport users and coal miners are among the winners in NSW Labor’s 2026 budget, while NDIS participants and gun owners are among the losers Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast New South Wales’ latest budget has little to ease the state’s housing crunch and forecasts booming spending on essential workers. But after Labor’s fourth year running the books, who’s really winning? And how much debt will the state take on to pay for it? The flagship cost-of-living relief measure is a one-year $100 discount on private vehicle registration. NSW’s 4.4 million motorists are expected to save a combined $435m on the measure. The weekly cap on road tolls will be cut from $60 to $50 for one year at a cost of $45m, Treasury says. Toll administration fees, which each cost at least $10, will be scrapped. For public transport, NSW has frozen 2025’s fares for a year after years of steady increases. About 400,000 people catch public transport each day and the freeze forgoes an estimated $43.3m of revenue over a year – suggesting public transport users will each save an average of $100 over the year. NSW’s relief does not go as far as Queensland’s 50c fares or Victoria’s