NSW Budget: Minns government to expire $60 weekly toll cap in January amid reform push

Toll caps for families struggling with the cost-of-living will not be extended in a major blow to household bottom lines under plans to focus on wider toll reform.

Toll caps for families struggling with the cost-of-living will not be extended in a major blow to household budgets under plans to focus on wider toll reform.

Tuesday’s budget confirmed the $60 weekly toll cap will end in January, topping off a budget offering little cost-of-living relief.

It comes after Treasurer Daniel Mookhey announced $58m would be allocated to establish, operate and manage the NSW Motorways Entity and to continue the Toll Reform Program.

Almost $10m will go towards the independent pricing and regulatory tribunal to maintain its role as the toll price monitor, while $9.4m will be spent to continue the government’s negotiations with private toll operators.

But despite the caps saving motorists millions of dollars, the government has not allocated funds to continue or reintroduce the measure next year.

Weekly toll caps will expire in January next year. Picture: Monique Harmer

Defending the announcement in parliament on Tuesday, Transport Minister John Graham said relief will come after the government works through reforms to lower tolls across the system, which are currently tied up in “watertight contracts” with operators.

“In the end (the toll cap program) is a very expensive program,” Mr Graham said.

“We can’t afford to do everything, it’s not possible to be able to pay for the cost of all of these programs without reforming tolls (and) reforming the tough privatised contracts that the former government signed that stretch out … for decades.”

NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman. Picture: Nikki Short

Opposition leader Mark Speakman criticised the lack of any new cost-of-living measures for families in the budget, saying the government had abolished existing relief including back-to-school vouchers for families “bearing the crisis”.

The concerns also come as the NRMA slammed the government for cutting road funding amid forecasts for increased revenue.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury questioned why only $7.4bn had been allocated to state roads for 2025-26, down from $9.1bn last year, while toll revenue is expected to jump by 78 per cent to $283m by 2028-29.

Traffic infringement revenue is also expected to increase by nine per cent to $779m this year.

“What the NRMA wanted to see this year was an increase in funding, particularly for those programs that councils rely on to maintain roads to a safe standard. It’s been a very wet and difficult year for councils, there are lots of potholes, there is significant damage to the road network,” Mr Khoury said.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury. Picture: John Appleyard

“We also know that the revenue being collected from motorists in NSW is increasing at the same time … funding in roads is going down … that is not the formula we need to see right now especially if we are trying to wrestle back the horrible road toll.”

Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said the government was committed to road spending, including $2.8bn in safety projects to lower the death toll on state roads.

“These are much-needed projects that will greatly reduce the risk of death and serious injury across our road network,” Ms Aitchison said.

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Originally published as NSW Budget: Minns government to expire $60 weekly toll cap in January amid reform push