NSW premier Chris Minns won't commit to seniors travel card

Speaking to the media during his first visit to Dubbo since being elected NSW premier, Mr Minns refused to confirm the future of the program which was launched in 2019 by the then government.

"I can't give that guarantee (the card won't be axed), I think it's important to explain to the people why," he said.

"That card was only funded up until halfway through next year, in order for me to keep the program going I have to find the funds to keep it alive.

"That's important for a few reasons, firstly, the NSW government is on track to inherit $187 billion worth of debt in the state. It's the largest figure ever recorded by any government in the history of NSW both as an overall figure and as a percentage of gross state product.

"Part of the reason for that is COVID spending which is understandable, part of is in the run up the election campaign the previous government spent a lot of money."

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall is one of several NSW Nationals MPs voicing their concern about the program and blasted the state government for refusing to allow any new applicants for the card, on the grounds it is being "misused by seniors".

Mr Marshall has demanded the card be "urgently reinstated" and said "the government had a long-standing secret agenda to axe the card, however, they were playing pitiful politics by saying it was being used incorrectly."

A petition has been created to the stop the state government from scrapping the program, with several seniors in the region using the cards to see loved ones and help ease the cost of travel.

Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said the Regional Seniors Travel Card had become a local lifeline for seniors in our community.

"Holding a $250 regional travel card allows seniors to take a trip to visit friends and family, travel for a doctor's appointment, or visit the shops to pick up groceries" he said.

"I hope we get as many people as possible to sign this petition to convince the Minns government to keep funding this important cost-of-living measure."

Mr Minns said he was still yet to find where money for the cards would come from.

"The reason I raise that because it is not a matter of me axing the program and keeping the savings to put into something else," he said.

"I have to find money to keep it going and I'm not in a position to announce where that would come from right now.

"We are going through the budget line by line to find where money has been spent, where revenues are coming and how do we make sure when we do make an intervention for spending that it's not inflationary without adding to the taxation burden for the people of NSW.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is it's a tough circle to square particularly with the budget in such a dire set of circumstances."

This article first appeared in the Glen Innes Examiner.