Labor says its election promise to build a TAFE manufacturing centre of excellence in the Hunter includes capital works, but Parliamentary Budget Office costings show the free student places on offer will be funded by money reallocated from other free courses.
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The Newcastle Herald has examined the detail of a range of Labor commitments made during the recent NSW election campaign, including the party's costing requests to the PBO and the PBO's response.
Premier Chris Minns announced on February 27 that a Labor government would commit $42.7 million towards upgrading and fitting out three TAFE campuses in the Hunter, Illawarra and western Sydney.
The PBO's costing says: "The PBO assumes that the manufacturing training centres can be provided using existing TAFE resources and facilities.
"Therefore, there are no costs related to refurbishment or construction."
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The Labor costing request to the PBO does not mention capital works, but Swansea MP Yasmin Catley's office said on Wednesday that the party's policy included money for upgrades and fit-outs.
Labor's request to the PBO says "funding would be allocated/repurposed from the existing allocation of fee-free training places" to "train or re-train apprentices/workers each year for a domestic manufacturing industry".
The PBO provides costings and budget impact statements for proposed or publicly announced election policies from the two major parties.
Its costings for another major election promise in the Hunter, a new high school at Medowie, show it will be built over the next four years with an $80 million allocation from a new Schools for the Regions Fund to be established from July 1 with unused money from the Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund.
Labor also promised to build a new high school at the Huntlee housing estate near Branxton.
The Newcastle Herald could not find a PBO costing request for this project, but Labor said on Wednesday that the Huntlee school's construction would come from the existing education budget "beginning with planning work".
The PBO costings show a commitments to spend $43.5 million on upgrading roads in Upper Hunter, Maitland, Swansea and at the Speers Point roundabout are included in the new $390 million Regional Emergency Road Repair Program, including $195 million in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The PBO says a $21 million Labor pledge for mass sand renourishment at Stockton beach under the existing Coastal and Estuary Grants Program is "feasible" given the fund has $42 million uncommitted over the next four years and $74 million uncommitted beyond forward estimates.
Labor committed to establishing a Hunter transition authority to manage the economic shift away from coal.
The PBO costings show the authority will be one of four across the state. The others will be in the Illawarra and the state's central west and north-west.
The Labor costing request proposes each authority will receive $1 million per year from the existing $25 million Royalties for Rejuvenation Fund.
The money will be spent on about six staff in each region.
Mr Minns also said during the campaign that Hunter firms were well placed to win contracts under a Labor commitment to build the next Tangara train fleet with 50 per cent local content.
The PBO costing for the policy says Transport for NSW has advised that achieving the local content target is "possible" but will "lead to higher costs".
The PBO costings for a four-year, $2 million funding commitment to Port Stephens Koala Hospital show the money will come from unallocated funds under the Regional Growth Fund.
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Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
