"It certainly seemed to be a budget for the boys, really disappointing in regards to women's issues," Wollongong Deputy Lord Mayor Tania Brown said.

"We've talked a lot through COVID-19 about [the rise of] domestic violence and the impacts on women. So I think that was a real glaring omission that there was nothing to help."

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The budget papers revealed women and young people were hardest hit by COVID-19 job losses. The government did announce they would help women crack into male-dominated industries like science or construction, but there was not much immediate help.

Childcare and aged care were two sectors to also miss out on extra funding - both largely dominated by female workers.

Meantime, incentives for employers to take on young people - through the new JobMaker subsidy - have an end date and do not address the ongoing fallout the pandemic is forecast to have, according to a community services advocate.

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Community Industry Group CEO Nicky Sloan said unemployment was high across the Illawarra and South Coast and tax cuts did "nothing" for those without a job.

She said the $240 million announced under the Women's Economic Security Statement was "beyond underwhelming" as it equated to only about $40 per woman in the workforce.

"It's tokenistic at best," Ms Sloan said.

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Ms Sloan was also disappointed the government chose to wait for the findings from the Royal Commission into Aged Care next February before pledging any support.

"More than 670 people have died in residential aged care as a result of COVID-19, and thousands more suffer isolation from family and friends," Ms Sloan said.

Higher education was another loser according to Cr Brown, who is also the Chief Operating Officer at the University of Wollongong's SMART Infrastructure Facility.

"There was a billion dollars for research but really nothing targeted at regional universities," she said. "We're facing job cuts, as is every university ... and in a regional setting those jobs have a bigger ramification on the local economy."

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