Mr Sanger, along with Labor’s candidate in Bathurst Beau Riley and their Dubbo-based counterpart Stephen Lawrence, expanded on party leader Michael Daley’s announcement that his government would introduce a law requiring local jobs and materials to be written into all tender documents.

Mr Sanger said the proposed NSW Jobs Act would require all government departments and agencies to consider local jobs, skills, and industry when making procurement decisions.

“The NSW government agencies will only deal with businesses which pay their workers fairly and adhere to safe work practices,” Mr Sanger said.

“Every state government contract will be assessed on how it can deliver more local jobs.

“The NSW Jobs Act will be modelled on the strong success of other state Labor government initiatives, the Western Australian Jobs Act 2017 and the Victorian Local Jobs First Act 2003.”

Mr Sanger said a Daley government would invest 100 per cent of the proceeds of the $4.1 billion sale of Snowy Hydro in rural and regional Australia. 

“These funds will be used to build productive infrastructure and deliver services that attract tourists, revitalise industries, and create skilled jobs.”

Mr Riley, a police prosecutor who works in Orange and other Central West locations, said the Labor policy of sourcing 50 per cent local workers and material will keep taxpayers’ money in local areas.

“This policy is about our taxpayers’ money going towards employing locals in local businesses,” Mr Riley said.

“The taxpayers will support a policy that keeps tax dollars local, not sending it overseas.” 

Mr Riley and other candidates said they were opposed to outsourcing any work to overseas businesses where Australia has the ability to produce similar products.

Mr Lawrence said, if elected, his party would “not slash and burn public sector jobs here like the Nationals have”.

“Our local jobs policy will mean state government projects valued at more than $50 million will trigger a 50 per cent local workforce.”

Nationals’ candidate for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said he was also in favour of local suppliers and providers being included in government tenders, citing its announcement of a contract for setting up a rail maintenance facility in Dubbo last Thursday.

“This is a great local jobs story for this region, but isn’t the only one,” Mr Saunders said.

“I just announced locally the increase in nurses, midwives, doctors and other healthcare workers promised by the Nationals in government.”