A state budget promising a return to surplus and more money in the hands of essential workers has been lashed by the NSW opposition as failing families battling rising living costs.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman delivered his formal budget reply to state parliament on Thursday, saying a coalition government would have done more to make housing accessible, including by encouraging empty-nesters to downsize.
Mr Speakman said an expected increase in tax revenue should be spent addressing the housing crisis, rather than delivering big wage increases for public servants.
"This is a budget of broken promises, dodgy numbers, no vision and lost opportunities," he said.
Mr Speakman said cuts to subsidies, including for the regional seniors travel card and Active Kids vouchers, "forgets families at the height of a cost-of-living crisis".
He also urged the government to push on with major infrastructure works that defined the past decade of coalition leadership, including Sydney Metro West, to create jobs and support the growing population.
"Nothing says same-old Labor like their aversion to game-changing infrastructure projects," Mr Speakman said.
He said the coalition would have kept a scheme, axed by Labor, that gave homebuyers the choice of paying an annual property tax instead of up-front stamp duty.
To open up more housing for young families, the coalition would have also looked at introducing a stamp duty exemption for some downsizing older buyers.
"Over 1.4 million people in NSW occupy a three- or four-bedroom home on their own, or as couples without children - nearly three-quarters of them are over 55 years old," Mr Speakman said.
"We have an opportunity for one generation to support another."
Labor's first NSW budget in 13 years, delivered on Tuesday, forecast a return to surplus in 2024/25, despite significant pay increases for public-sector workers.
But Premier Chris Minns has faced questions over why the budget failed to set aside funding for a drug summit promised before the election.
He said the government was still committed to having the summit in its first four-year term, but there were more pressing issues, such as tackling inflation and rebuilding essential services.
"We've got a lot on our plate - we're determined to do it, but we'll do it in a sequential order," Mr Minns said.
Emma Maiden, from Uniting NSW and ACT, urged the premier to set a date for the summit, describing it as an opportunity for real and meaningful reform.
"The people who are experiencing drug dependency and their families can't afford to wait years for meaningful policy reform and change - the need is now and it's urgent," she said.
Mr Speakman said a major pay rise promised to teachers, above the 4.5 per cent received by other frontline government staff, would have other unions seeking more.
He said Labor's $13 billion in identified savings included "hidden" cuts to core services that would be deeply unpopular with voters.
Budgeted spending for several departments and agencies, including education, health and NSW Police, only increased slightly in 2023/24 compared with the previous year, which the opposition said would leave them worse off in real terms.
