The Minns Labor Government is taking action to help NSW households save on their energy bills by allocating $238.9 million in the 2024-25 Budget for the forthcoming Consumer Energy Strategy.

The Consumer Energy Strategy will support households to upgrade their homes to be more energy efficient and cheaper to run, which will also make them more comfortable to live in year-round.

Key Budget Allocations

• $128.5 million over two years to upgrade roads and infrastructure from Port of Newcastle to Renewable Energy Zones in regional NSW, enabling transportation of critical components required for the construction of renewable energy infrastructure. The initial road upgrades will prioritize the route to the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone near Dubbo.
• $435.4 million in 2024-25, including a boost of $100 million, to increase the value of energy bill rebates to assist households with the cost of living. This includes $10 million to launch a pilot program providing debt relief for people in critical need.
• $15.8 million allocated to make our energy system safer, more reliable, and better equipped to manage an increase in households investing in new energy-saving technologies. Measures include increasing electrical safety inspections of home energy installations by the NSW Building Commission.
• $87.5 million over four years to make energy-saving upgrades to social housing properties, keeping homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
• $39.3 million over seven years to speed up biodiversity assessments for crucial renewable energy and housing projects, supporting the NSW Government’s housing and emissions reduction targets.
• Funding to create the Energy Security Corporation, seeded with $1 billion to accelerate private sector investments in clean energy projects, improving the reliability, security, and sustainability of electricity supply.

Renewable Energy and Environmental Protection Investments

The 2024-25 NSW Budget includes $3.1 billion to help deliver NSW's Renewable Energy Zones – getting more clean energy into the grid while creating secure jobs for communities across the state.

The Budget includes a total of $2.4 billion for the Environment and Heritage Portfolios, with investments such as:

• $75.1 million to maintain our national parks, boosting nature-based tourism and encouraging more exploration of the almost 900 parks and reserves across NSW.
• $43 million for the Environment Protection Authority to boost the transformation of the waste and recycling industry in NSW, including grants to expand our capacity to recycle plastics and organics and to support other strategic waste infrastructure initiatives.
• $87.5 million for the Environmental Trust to provide grants for restoration and rehabilitation, education, research, and waste activities, benefitting conservation, culture, and tourism.
• Investing in the continuation of the Blue Plaques Program to recognize and celebrate our rich and diverse heritage in NSW.
• Protection of the Butterfly Cave Aboriginal Place with the purchase of land in the Hunter, to be part of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service reserve.

Legislative and Regulatory Actions

The NSW Government is prioritizing work to fix legislation to better protect the environment. In 2024-25, this includes new laws delivering on election promises to fix the biodiversity offsets system and strengthen environmental protections, with reforms to the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.

NSW is accelerating work on the circular economy, including holistic waste infrastructure planning, consultation on the waste levy, and action on plastics.