Our Plan to Deliver for Regional NSW

INTRODUCE ADULT CRIME, ADULT TIME LAWS

Regional crime across NSW has been allowed to get out of control with laws that don’t fit the crime. The NSW Nationals will: Implement Adult Crime, Adult Time laws by expanding the list of Serious Children’s Indictable Offences which must be tried in the District Court to include:

• Reckless grievous bodily harm – in company (Max 14 years)
• Aggravated robbery (Max penalty 20 years)
• Armed Robbery - in company (Max penalty 20 years)
• Firing a gun at a house or motor vehicle offences (Max penalty 14-16 years)
• Destroy or damage property by fire or explosives offences (Max penalty 10-12 years)
• Destroy or damage property by fire or explosive with intent to cause injury offences (Max penalty 14-16 years)
• Aggravated Carjacking (Max Penalty 14 years)
• Carjacking (Max penalty 10 years)
• Dangerous driving occasioning death/grievous bodily harm offences (Max penalty 7-14 years)
• Aggravated Break and enter & commit serious indictable offence (Max penalty 20 years)
• Break and enter & commit serious indictable offence (Max penalty 14 years)

The offences would be backed by guideline sentencing and new sentencing principles to ensure detention is not treated as a last result, especially where that applies to multiple sentences, and greater weighting will be given to victim impact rather than the age of the offender.

The NSW Nationals will also increase investment in youth diversionary programs and rehabilitation programs to help kids at risk of offending and reducing youths who reoffend.

Cost of living - our plan to take the pressure off regional NSW

Our plan to take the pressure off regional NSW includes

• Implementing a $100 car rego rebate
• Bringing back the Regional Seniors Travel Card
• Making the energy system fairer and cheaper by generating electricity closer to where it’s used, by
  • Scrapping the transmission line between Walcha and Bayswater
  • Establishing a Renewable Energy Zone in Sydney
  • Investigating and establishing a new REZ in Far Western NSW in consultation with landholders
• Implementing our plan for fuel transparency and security

Policy: Regional Seniors Travel Card

Supporting Agriculture

Biosecurity

Agriculture contributes approximately $25.5 billion per year to the NSW economy. The sector is one of NSW's most productive and important industries, yet farmers face a system weighed down by excessive regulation, rising costs, and decisions made far from regional communities.

Invasive species and biosecurity threats have become commonplace under Labor. A strong case-in-point is the explosion of the feral pig population across NSW, with Western NSW being most affected.

Our five point plan for biosecurity and feral pig control would mean:

• $300 million record investment in environmental and agricultural assets over 5 years.
• Immediate action recognising urgency and taking advantage of conditions.
• Practical changes to allow farmers to get on with the job.
• Make public land part of the solution not the problem.
• Trial of a targeted bounty scheme.

Policy Statement: Biosecurity Plan

A GUARANTEE OF CLEAN WATER FOR REGIONAL NSW

Supplying clean water is one of the most basic responsibilities of government – and at the moment NSW is failing regional people. It is not acceptable in 2026 that towns don’t have clean water.

That’s why we’ve committed $5 billion over ten years to fix town water infrastructure in regional NSW. This long-term plan to restore water security to regional NSW will be backed by legislation and supported by mining royalties, meaning future governments will be locked in to delivering this fund, rather than regional NSW being an afterthought.

This is the largest ever ten-year investment in regional water in the state’s history.

The fund will be split into four streams:

• A Local Water Utilities Capital Fund for smaller communities
• Regional Cities Water Infrastructure and Headworks Fund for larger regional cities
• Lifespan Asset Management Fund to assist in the maintenance of infrastructure
• Emergency Measures Assistance Fund to ensure accessible funding when disaster strikes

Strengthening the Economy

Small business and agriculture are the backbone of regional NSW. When small business is doing well, NSW is doing well. Under Labor, NSW has become uncompetitive. Our plan includes:

• Raising the payroll tax threshold from $1.2 million to $1.5 million.
• Reducing the payroll tax rate from 5.45 per cent to 4.75 per cent for businesses with a total Australian payroll below $10 million.
• Introducing CPI indexation to payroll tax thresholds to eliminate bracket creep.
• Repealing Labor's union spy powers laws
• Doubling the funding for Business Connect
• Putting downward pressure on business power bills by increasing energy supply, improving energy security and generating more power closer to where it is used, reducing reliance on costly transmission infrastructure.
• Developing a comprehensive industry strategy to drive jobs growth across major sectors.

Policy Statement: Backing Small Business

Restoring Safety in NSW

Everyone has a story about crime in regional NSW. If it hasn’t happened to you, it’s happened to someone you know. The Minns Labor government have let crime run unchecked. We need to restore safety in our country towns and cities. In addition to the Adult Crime, Adult Time laws, the NSW Nationals will:

Implement Break Bail, Go to Jail laws by:

• Revoking bail if there is a breach of the bail conditions, if another charge is laid while on bail, or if there is any interference with the electronic monitoring device.
• Expanding the definition of repeat offences beyond serious break and enter and motor vehicle theft, to include all serious indictable offences like murder or sexual assault.
• Introducing electronic monitoring and a mandatory curfew as conditions of bail.
• Elevating the voice of victims in the court using victim impact statements.

Fight organised crime by:

• Creating new offences of using a violence broker or acting as a violence broker with a maximum penalty of 16 years or 20 years if a child is involved
• Doubling the funding to the NSW Crime Commission to allow it to identify more participants in organised crime and confiscate their unexplained wealth;
• Extending unexplained wealth orders so they apply to anyone reasonably suspected of acting as or using a violence broker

Let police deal with e-bikes by allowing the NSW Police Force to seize any e-bike, regardless of its legality, from the community if the rider’s behaviour falls short of community standards.

Policy Statement: Bail Reform

A Fairer Energy Plan – Stage 1

Since Labor took government in 2023, regional NSW has been shut out. What began as a program that intended clear, consistent and fair engagement and partnership with regional communities has deteriorated into a program that has neglected engagement and damaged confidence in regional NSW.

A recent NSW Parliamentary Inquiry found, among other things, that:

"The NSW Government has presided over the rollout of Renewable Energy Zones without a coherent, enforceable, whole-of-government planning framework, resulting in predictable and avoidable harm to rural and regional communities."

The NSW Nationals want to right these wrongs and prevent future harm by reforming how the energy system is being delivered.

The NSW Nationals will:

• Immediately review the scope and scale New England REZ. A revised New England REZ will not include the construction of 500kv transmission lines.
• Deliver more energy generation closer to where it's used by creating Urban REZs across Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. These Urban REZs will unlock an untapped energy resource by supporting industrial precincts, commercial buildings, apartment complexes and local communities, generating and storing power closer to where it is consumed.
• Establish the Outback Renewable Energy Zone as part of a more diverse and resilient energy system for NSW. This will be delivered in consultation and partnership with communities in the far west of NSW, rather than being imposed on them. 

Policy Statement: Fairer Energy Plan

SCRAP THE CAP

Remove the legislated 10-cap on firearms for farmers, professional shooters, and sporting shooters.

STOP THE BUYBACK

The NSW Nationals will stop the buyback for all licensed firearm owners until an inquiry can get to the bottom of the real issues with firearms legislation

During the freeze, licensed owners will not be forced to surrender firearms. NSW Police will retain all existing powers to suspend or cancel licences and seize firearms where there is a risk to public safety.

FIX THE LAWS

A NSW Nationals Government will establish a Commission of Inquiry to review and improve Labor’s rushed laws and recommend sensible firearms reforms targeting terrorists, criminals and illegal guns.

The inquiry will examine the operation of the Firearms Registry and NSW firearms laws, including background checks, intelligence sharing, licence categories and conditions, genuine-reason requirements and a risk-based licence-renewal system.

It will ensure permanent reforms are informed by evidence, operational experience and proper consultation with NSW Police, security agencies, licensed firearm owners and affected industries.

The NSW Nationals will fight to scrap the four-cap for recreational hunters.

BACK THE POLICE

The NSW Nationals will deliver a significant law-and-order package giving NSW Police stronger laws, specialist officers, intelligence capabilities and operational resources to tackle illegal firearms, organised crime and terrorism.

The package will:

• Increase funding for the NSW Firearms Registry
• Increase funding and resourcing to the New South Wales Police’s State Crime Command and Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command
• Increase the maximum penalty for trafficking firearms or ammunition from 20 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment, with a standard non-parole period.
• Anyone found carrying an illegal gun will face mandatory time in jail
• Strengthen NSW Firearms Prohibition Orders to give police an even more effective tool to disrupt organised crime, gang violence, terrorism and other serious offending.
• Establish a Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Community Safety focused on terrorism, violent extremism, hate groups, firearms trafficking, social cohesion and emerging threats.