Ron Hoenig
Minister for Local Government 

Steve Whan
Minister for Skills, TAFE, and Tertiary Education

MEDIA RELEASE

Fresh Start program providing jobs boost for regional NSW

Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Regional communities are set to benefit from better services and improved roads and infrastructure, as the NSW Government rolls out civil construction training to upskill council workers through its Fresh Start program.

Sixty workers from seven Central West, Western and North West NSW councils will upskill in major plant machinery critical to council infrastructure maintenance, including skid steers, excavators, backhoes, tractors, graders, and rollers.

The training forms part of the Minns Labor Government's Fresh Start program, which is supporting 1,300 new council apprentices and trainees across New South Wales.

The training will help councils reduce reliance on external contractors minimising the need for outsourcing instead building local capability and improving the delivery of infrastructure for more communities.

The training will expand the skillset of council workforces and provide more opportunities for stable, rewarding careers for workers in local government close to home.

The program is delivering targeted training opportunities that goes straight to the heart of critical skills shortages impacting local councils, particularly in rural and regional areas.

Since January 2025, the Minns Labor Government's $252.2 million Fresh Start Program has delivered a critical workforce injection to the local government sector, setting up a pipeline of skilled workers for the future giving councils the building blocks they need to succeed.

The training, delivered by TAFE NSW, targets a skills gap facing regional and rural councils, where staff are often licenced to operate only some of the required equipment, leading to outsourcing and higher costs for councils.

This is a proactive program that targets skills gaps, empowers councils and workers and sets them up for a sustainable future in local councils.

The councils involved in the training include Bathurst Regional Councils, Dubbo City Council, Orange City Council, Cabonne Shire Council, Narromine Shire Council, and Tenterfield Shire Council.

Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig said:

"This investment will help regional and rural councils secure the skilled workforce they need for the future to keep building the roads, infrastructure and community facilities that growing communities rely on and can't do without.

"We're investing in local government capability - stronger skills, stronger councils, and better outcomes for regional communities.

"We're backing regional council to build their own workforce to they're not forced to rely on expensive outsourcing to get the job done.

"Sixty council workers across the Central West, Western and North West are now getting hands-on training in the machinery that keeps their communities moving. This is practical reform - more skills, less outsourcing, and better value for ratepayers."

Minister for Skills, TAFE, and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:

"The Minns Labor Government is backing TAFE NSW to deliver hands-on training that targets the skills local councils' need to build and maintain regional infrastructure.

"We're tackling critical skills gaps in regional NSW by giving 60 council workers across the Central West, Western, and North West the capability to operate essential plan equipment like excavators, graders and rollers, enabling secure, long-term careers closer to home.

"By building a pipeline of skilled local government workers, we're enabling more resilient communities across rural and regional NSW."

Secretary of the United Services Union Graeme Kelly OAM said:

"The Minns Labor Government's investment in Local Councils particularly rebuilding the skills required to deliver civil infrastructure will revitalise local communities.

"Plant operation is at the heart of infrastructure building and are skills that are lifelong and transferrable throughout the industry.

"This investment will transform communities and ensures that local government employees obtain the skills that otherwise would not be available."