NSW Premier Chris Minns at Bush Summit in Tamworth

The $10,000 is in addition to the current $10,000 already available under the $883 million Rural Health Workforce Incentives Scheme, for health workers who move to a regional, remote or rural area for work.

Mr Minns was speaking at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Conference Centre (TRECC) on August 11 as part of the Bush Summit, saying "we believe these incentive schemes do work, particularly in recruiting and retaining key workers".

"Particularly in areas that are hard to fill but we need to make sure that they're working for those who apply," Mr Minns said.

"Otherwise, the impact of isolation and being away from family and social networks means they feel isolated, and for many people, as a result, those incentive schemes won't work."

Mr Minns said if the total $20,000 incentive scheme is not successful, then his government will "come back to the negotiating table" and work with regional communities to recruit and retain the essential workers.

"I've heard countless stories of experienced nurses and midwives, who are either dropping their working hours or worse because they don't feel supported in the workplace," Mr Minns said.

"It's why we began the transition to safe staffing levels in New South Wales hospitals."

The NSW Labor government announced earlier this year that an additional 1200 nurses and midwives will be recruited into the state's hospital system within the next four years, at a cost of $174 million.

The incentive scheme is expected to help health professionals pay-off university loans, assist with further education, accommodation, relocation costs or boosting salaries.

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On the topic of education, Mr Minns said the Auditor-General Margaret Crawley's recently released 'Regional, Rural and Remote Education' report has "prompted an urgent response by our government".

The report released on August 10, found "considerable gaps" remain between metropolitan and regional students' access to education in New South Wales.

"No matter where you live in New South Wales," Mr Minns said. "You should have access to world class education with highly trained and highly skilled educators."

Mr Minns also spoke about the transmission lines that will be built across the region in the transition to renewable energies, saying laying underground lines would cost three-times as much as they would if built above the ground.

And as for water security, the state leader said the government will be releasing the remaining stages of the Far North Coast and Namoi Regional Water strategies in the coming months.

"Unfortunately, drought conditions are continuing to emerge across the state, particularly on the north coast, the Hunter and in the southeast," he said.

"We know from dry times and droughts in years gone by that these sorts of seasonal conditions can lead to widespread drought impacts across the state."

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