Mr McCormack said a big ticket item for Wagga would be roads and community infrastructure funding, with an additional $3 million directed to the Wagga council area as part of funds distributed across regional councils.

"It's a lot of money generated throughout the local economies of those towns because quite often the money is spent at local small businesses, all the procurement is done, all the work is done by local people," he said.

While a $50 million tourism boost is expected to be directed to international tourism hotspots along Australia's coastline, Mr McCormack said the Riverina stood to benefit from a $100 million continuation of the Building Better Regions Fund, with the most recent round currently funding projects such as the Botanic Gardens renovation.

"You could almost argue there's really a quarter of a billion dollars for tourism because each piece of community infrastructure is going to be used by tourists, by visitors," he said.

Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill described programs aimed at regional Australia as a "grab bag of announcements," and said a cohesive plan for the regions was missing.

"What regional businesses, farmers, hard-working families know is nothing sticks together if you don't actually have a plan," she said.

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While Senator O'Neill said income tax cuts would allow working people to put more money into regional economies, she was concerned the phasing out of JobKeeper and return to original JobSeeker rates would put people in financial distress.

"I don't know a single person ... who wants to see Mums and Dads with kids on the side of the street homeless, and I think that is going to be the consequences of the gov's decisions around supporting people who find themselves in that vulnerable position, she said."

Mr McCormack said the budget recognised young people had been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic, leading to the creation of 'JobMaker,' a hiring credit offering $200 weekly payments to employers hiring new workers between the ages of 16 and 29, and $100 for workers under 35.

"When young people start, they take a bit of training ... it does take a little while before they get up to speed and so what we want to do is get those employers encouraged and incentivised to put that young person on," he said.

Senator O'Neill said this decision would leave a gap for those aged over 35 who had lost work.

"I meet amazing Australians who have worked in great businesses, all of a sudden something happens ... they lose their job," she said.

"Why don't (people over 35) deserve support when they lose their jobs?"

Mr McCormack said many people over 35 already had training and "just need to be reconnected with their places of work."

"For those older Australians, yes there are still incentives for them too, there's the tax increase we've put in place, they'll be paying less tax, they'll actually be able to spend more of the money that they earn on the things they want," he said.

Mr McCormack said women were another category of worker the government had identified as being hit hard by the virus, leading to a $250 million package for womens' economic security.

The package aims to repair and rebuild female workforce participation, improve flexibility for families, support female leadership in the workplace and improve womens' safety at work and home.

Senator O'Neill said the package was "a footnote rather than a proper policy response."

"Work for women in regional Australia is very fragile," she said.

"Women aren't an extra part of the economy, we're a deeply embedded part of it."