Federal budget 2017: South Coast winners and losers

Treasurer Scott Morrison opened the government's purse as he delivered the 2017-18 budget on Tuesday night, flagging $75 billion worth of infrastructure spending across the country over the next 10 years. 

Among the cash splash was a $10 billion National Rail Program - aimed at providing better connections between regional centres and capital cities, and reducing the burden on our roads.

Despite the significant rail spend, the incomplete Maldon-Dombarton freight link - which would take freight off Illawarra roads - didn't rate a mention.

On our roads, the only new spending in this year's budget went to the Gilmore electorate, held by Liberal Ann Sudmalis.

The Far North Collector Road project, connecting Illaroo Road in North Nowra to Moss Vale Road, will get $13.8 million in 2017-18 (the Commonwealth's total spend between now and 2020-21).

Also in the Shoalhaven, a trickle of money went the way of the Nowra bridge - $4 million to continue planning work for the third Shoalhaven River crossing. The same amount was allocated last year and a budget infrastructure statement indicated the federal government's total spend between 2013-14 and 2020-21 was $10 million.

To the north, money was allocated to previously-planned or already under way projects - the upgrade of Appin Road between Appin and Rosemeadow ($5 million in 2017-18) and the construction of additional lanes on the M1 Princes Motorway from Picton Road to Bellambi Creek ($10 million).

No new funding for the Princes Highway was forthcoming. The budget infrastructure statement only listed a total Commonwealth spend for the Albion Park Rail bypass of $52.5 million over eight years;  the 2017-18 spend data was blank.

The NSW government has flagged a $550 million spend on the long-awaited bypass project. 

On the Far South Coast, $4.3 million will be spent in the next financial year on various road and intersection upgrades in the Eurobodalla. 

Despite the lack of Illawarra-specific infrastructure line items in this year's budget, the region can expect to benefit from a new Regional Growth Fund (RGF). 

The government has set aside $472.2 million over four years to establish the fund, which includes grants of $10 million or more for "major transformational projects which support long-term economic growth and create jobs in regions undergoing structural adjustment".

The projects would need to bring the three levels of government together with businesses and the community.

An extra $200 million (from the RGF) will be injected into a Building Better Regions Fund to support the construction of community infrastructure. 

The budget papers revealed the government's National Stronger Regions Fund, which has seen money allocated to Illawarra projcts in the past, will no longer deliver funding.

Also of significance to the region is the Western Sydney Airport, which received an additional cash injection of $73.2 million in this budget for ongoing planning and preparatory work.

On the employment front, the South Coast is one of 10 pilot regions to share in $220 million as part of a regional jobs and investment package.

The packages, aimed at delivering "sustainable employment", were funded over four years from last financial year.

The spend should help tackle the region's spiralling unemployment rate. The Southern Highlands/Shoalhaven's youth unemployment rate was 24.1 per cent in March, while the general unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent.

The region's university students had been warned of fee increases and changes to their loan repayments prior to the budget. 

Some of the University of Wollongong's 32,953 enrolled students will need to pay back their loan debts earlier, with new thresholds to be introduced from July 1, 2018.

Student contributions will increase for all Commonwealth-supported students from January next year, regardless of when they began their study.

"We are launching a fairer system, with students asked to pay a bit more for their own education costs. However taxpayers will continue to subsidise more than half the cost of each student’s higher education," Mr Morrison said.

The Illawarra's 89 public schools should reap the rewards of an extra $18.6 billion in funding over the next decade, under the Gonski needs-based model.

Illawarra residents looking for somewhere to live, buying their first home, or spending a large amount of their income on rent are set to benefit from a raft of housing affordability measures outlined in Tuesday night's budget.

The measures include a $1 billion national affordable housing agreement, which will fund the infrastructure needed to speed up supply of housing, and a push for planning reforms at a state level to help that process.

Measures to support first-home buyers and help for homelessness services were also outlined in the budget.

"There are no silver bullets to make housing more affordable. But by adopting a comprehensive approach, by working together, by understanding the spectrum of housing needs, we can make a difference," Mr Morrison said in his budget speech.

"We will work with the states and territories and local governments to get more homes built, because prices are higher where demand is greater than supply."

Illawarra first-home buyers will be able to save for a deposit by salary sacrificing into their superannuation. 

Mr Morrison also revealed $375 million would be spent to permanently extend the funding of homelessness services, such as the Wollongong Homeless Hub, at a state level.

Thousands of Illawarra small businesses are again among the budget winners with their instant asset write-offs extended for another year. 

Businesses with a turnover of up to $10 million will be able to immediately write off expenditure up to $20,000 until June 30, 2018. 

The turnover was increased from $2 million in last year's budget.

The 2017-18 budget also includes a $300 million incentive for states and territories to cut red tape costs for small businesses. 

In a win for some Illawarra pensioners, the government will reinstate the Pensioner Concession Card for pensioners who were no longer entitled to the pension due to assets test changes introduced earlier this year.

Reinstating the card will give pensioners access to subsidised hearing services.

Wollongong City and Shellharbour City councils will welcome the government resuming the indexation of financial assistance grants. 

Indexation on the grants had been frozen.