It was flashy and it was positive - the NSW Budget presentation high up above Martin Place on Tuesday.
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But, agriculture was seldom mentioned amid all the good news, promises and reports of a resurging economy, despite the heavy lifting its done.
Everyone knows that if agriculture is doing well, the rest of the Australian economy will do well. It might have been an oversight, and some announcements were made beforehand, but the lack of a mention in the official announcements was telling.
If NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet says NSW is "the most confident state" in Australia, surely he should have mentioned the contribution ag has made to that confidence - record crops, record stock prices and world-leading farmers.
It is also fair to ask what is the state's contribution back to rural and regional NSW for that contribution.
The NSW employment rate is up, consumer demand is up, the state has a Triple A rating and a budget expected to be back in surplus in 2024-25. But does regional and rural Australia get its fair share of services?
Support for health in rural NSW is one area where the need for more resources is urgent.
There has been no shortage of concerns raised during the current inquiry into rural and regional health services, and when you take a look at the HealtStats NSW figures for suicide rates, those in rural parts have either increased or remained well above the state average in recent years.
It was good to see $36.4 million for 57 mental health specialists for regional NSW. However, rural areas also need more doctors. After all, how many people are slipping through the net because they have difficulty accessing a GP, a key step in referring patients through to specialists, including for mental health.
While there was some money in there for telecommunications, this area is lagging, both to catch up with our cities and also to support the technlogy that is expected to lift agriculture towards its $30 billion value goal by 2030.
And likewise, immediate workforce solutions and strategies to retain or attract young talent into rural industries was also missing.
Farmers need a thriving local commuity with supporting services, they need connectivity and access to markets. Agriculture has a big part to play in our ecomic recovery, but the budget spend didn't really reflect this.
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