Budget Snapshot

Here’s what we’re doing for SA Families

Cost of Living Relief

Over the last four budgets, the government has invested almost $1 billion
in cost of living relief to support South Australians facing financial pressures,
through increases in the cost of living concessions, reduction to the
materials and services charge for students and cheaper public transport

25 cents Per trip to get to and from school

$20.7 million over four years to permanently reduce the price of a
metroCARD student 28-day pass to $10 in 2025-26 (currently $28.60).
This will save families up to $242 per year per student.

School Materials and Services Charge Reduction

$96 million over four years to continue the $200 reduction to parents and caregivers of over 120 000 students for the materials and services charge applied per student by government schools. This measure provides annual support to government school families towards cost of living challenges.

CTP Premiums

All vehicle owners will continue to benefit from the former Labor government’s reforms to the competitive CTP insurance scheme. Drivers of an average four-cylinder vehicle will save almost $150 per year, compared to fees when the scheme was introduced in 2019 – a saving of 36 per cent.

For most motorists, total car registration costs will be increasing by just 1.7 per cent, well below the current Adelaide CPI of 2.2 per cent, with the CTP premium limited to an increase of $1.36 for the entire year.

  • $1.9 Billion Investment in Early Childhood Services

    2024-25 marked the formal establishment of the Office for Early Childhood Development and a record $1.9 billion investment to 2032 to deliver universal 3-year-old preschool and broader early years reform. Additional funding in this budget will accelerate the roll out of these reforms and increase early childhood enrolment capacity in areas of high demand.

  • $552.4 Million Housing Package

    To directly support the construction of around 2 935 homes.


  • Rent-To-Buy Affordable Housing Initiative

    100 properties under construction as part of the current Affordable Housing Initiative will be allocated to a rent-to-buy scheme for up to three years, before progressing with the sale as affordable home purchase opportunities. The properties will initially be rented out to eligible households at 75 per cent of market rent with renters pre‑qualified and intending to purchase the property at the end of the lease.

  • Growing Our Police Force

    The 2025-26 Budget makes a significant investment to support our police force to better protect and serve the community, including funding additional officers, improving the amenity of police facilities, and modernising their equipment.

  • $1.25 Billion Commitment to Children's Education

    In January 2025, the state and Commonwealth Government signed the new Better and Fairer Schools Agreement providing an additional $1.25 billion joint investment in education over ten years, with the state contributing $340 million.

    As a result, public schools in South Australia will receive increased Commonwealth and state funding and will achieve 100 per cent of School Resource Standard funding by 2034.

$1.9 billion for Investment in our Health System

The government continues to make significant investments in South Australia’s health system with a further $1.9 billion over five years to meet growing demand for services, improve our facilities and roll out new models of care and support for the community.

In its last four budgets, our government has invested an additional $9 billion in our state’s health system, which includes funding for more than 130 new mental health beds that will be brought online across South Australia.

  • $13.9 million over five years to support the continuation of the Mental Health Co-Responder Program in northern and central metropolitan Adelaide and expand the program to southern Adelaide. The program pairs a police officer with a mental health clinician to respond to mental health triple zero call outs across metropolitan Adelaide, and has prevented around 2 500 emergency department presentations since establishment.

    The expansion to southern Adelaide is expected to prevent a further 800 emergency department presentations per year.

  • $42.9 million over four years to support older people who are, or are at risk of becoming, long stay hospital patients, including a Geriatric Outreach Service and Patient Support Initiative that will support their transition into residential aged care facilities and other settings.

    This initiative is funded by the Commonwealth Government.

  • $77 million over five years to support the establishment of a statewide cancer network to maximise cancer prevention, early detection and transform the delivery of cancer care.

    This initiative is funded by the Commonwealth Government.

  • $2.2 million over three years to support the implementation of the community pharmacy expanded scope of practice initiative which will enable South Australians to attend a local pharmacy for assessment and treatment of a range of conditions.