It was great to hear Treasurer Daniel Mookhey from the other place deliver the 2026-27 budget in this place earlier today. The budget was a breath of fresh air for the people of Blacktown. I commence where the Treasurer left off in the 2025 budget, when he clearly articulated the vision and purpose of the Minns Government:

The Minns Government is focused on the future of economic growth.

It is focused on the future of families. Their jobs. Their businesses. Their wages. Their hospitals. Their schools. Their essential services.

The budget shows how in each year of this young Government we make progress.

We have added to our ambition. We are building a better New South Wales.

That was how the Treasurer concluded last year's budget speech, clearly articulating how, in our three short years of government, Labor has turned New South Wales away from the budgetary problems created by the previous Government into becoming a State of opportunity, where a postcode is no longer the determinant of success. The 12 long years under the Liberal-Nationals Coalition created unnecessary and prolonged problems for the people of Blacktown. The focus of conservative governments was to define government spending based more on the postcodes of their electorates rather than sharing the State's wealth with those with the greatest need. To a large extent, money was not even fairly spread in Liberal Party electorates. The member for Castle Hill and Temporary Speaker has also been advocating for the problems of his electorate, asking for more schools and infrastructure after 12 years of Liberal‑Nationals Government saw hardly any infrastructure delivered for a growing economy.

The headline items in today's budget include $9.2 billion of investment over the next four years to update schools, $4.1 billion of which will be spent in Western Sydney. That is where the growth is taking place and that is where schools are needed. We cannot build every school overnight, but we now have massive investment across the board. Not one additional cent was spent in the Blacktown and Mount Druitt electorates for 12 consecutive years. That is a huge shame. We are finally getting investment in those electorates and rebuilding their older schools.

There is a $10.3 billion investment over the next four years to grow the health workforce, expand hospital capacity and meet rising demand. We have an unprecedented $3.6 billion of capital investment into health—the largest investment in New South Wales history. Blacktown Hospital is benefiting from 30 additional beds and $60 million. Mount Druitt Hospital is getting 30 additional beds and $60 million. Rouse Hill Hospital is receiving $910 million of investment. The population in the Blacktown local government area is growing by 10,000 to 12,000 a year. The Temporary Speaker's local government area of the Hills is running a campaign for more investment, with the population of that area growing by 7,000 to 8,000 per year.

Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Rouse Hill hospitals are now being built, addressing the health needs of our area. For the first time, more nurses and doctors are being employed at Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals, as a percentage of the workforce, than population growth. The workforce has grown by about 10 per cent while the population has grown by 8 per cent. The previous Labor slogans were "More to do but we're heading in the right direction". We are investing in the area, and we have drawn the battle lines of addressing cost of living by reducing the weekly toll cap to $50. All those things help the people of Western Sydney, particularly the people of Blacktown.