The NSW Liberals have accused the Minns Labor Government of slashing more than $100 million from Service NSW, with impacts being felt across the state.

Shadow Minister for Customer Service and Digital Economy James Griffin, along with Liberal candidate for Kiama Serena Copley, spoke on Wednesday outside Kiama’s Service NSW centre - one of the first opened under the former Liberal government.

“This building is emblematic of how much we invested in making people’s interactions with government as simple and fast as possible,” Griffin said.

“Fast-forward to today - the Minns Labor Government has cut over $100 million from Service NSW statewide. And it was only thanks to a whistleblower who came forward about nine months ago that we were able to uncover this.”

Griffin said one of the most direct consequences of the funding cut is longer delays for basic services - including driving tests for young people.

“The time to book and sit for an L-plate test has now blown out past two months,” he said.

“Some might think that’s just an inconvenience, but for a young person trying to get their Ps and start a trade or apprenticeship, it’s a real setback. It delays their ability to earn a wage and get on with life.”

Copley added that the cuts have also affected Service NSW programs designed to ease cost of living pressures.

“Support vouchers like Back to School, First Lap, and Active Kids - all of which were introduced by the Liberal government through Service NSW - have now been scrapped or significantly reduced,” she said.

“At a time when families are struggling, cutting these support measures makes no sense.”

Copley also highlighted the end of the Business Connect initiative - a program that provided small businesses with free, tailored advice.

“This service will be cut on October 1 by the Minns Labor Government,” she said.

“And that’s happening when business insolvencies are at record highs and red tape is increasing. It’s the worst time to pull support away from small businesses.”

NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib, countered by saying "the Liberals have no credibility lecturing anyone on frontline delivery".

"They doubled Service NSW’s costs through the pandemic without providing any money to pay for it, imposed an unfair wages cap on frontline workers, and tried to privatise essential services.

"This government is focused on maintaining and improving frontline services.

"We’ve boosted availability with more tests and new service centres, Saturday testing, and almost 400,000 tests delivered in the past year. Service NSW is delivering record numbers of driving tests.

"Wait times for other services at the Kiama Service Centre are averaging just eight minutes.

"We have more to do, but we’re making good progress. It’s why to keep this momentum going, Kiama needs Katelin McInerney – a strong local voice inside the NSW Government who will fight for this community and make sure projects like this keep getting delivered."

Copley said that restoring Service NSW funding would be a priority if she’s elected.

“The Minns Labor Government doesn’t see this as important - but we do,” she said.

“These cuts mean longer wait times and more red tape, which takes time away from families and communities. People should be able to access government services efficiently - not spend their weekends sitting in queues or waiting months for a licence test.”

“These are the types of services that make a real difference to local families, and I want to see them reinstated.”