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A man blamed for one of Australia's deadliest bus crashes cut a lonely figure as he emerged from custody to rejoin a community in mourning.

Brett Button faced Cessnock Local Court on Tuesday charged with 10 counts of deadly dangerous driving.

The 58-year-old was behind the wheel of a bus carrying 35 wedding guests when it flipped and smashed in the NSW Hunter Valley on Sunday night.

Nine passengers were killed at the scene and another died on the way to hospital, where survivors are still being treated.

Button was mobbed by a throng of reporters when he emerged from the courthouse wearing a black beanie and clutching a reusable shopping bag.

Magistrate Robyn Richardson expressed concerns for Button's wellbeing and granted him parole despite police opposition.

She said passenger statements about Button's behaviour in the lead up to the crash made for a strong prosecution case, but his family ties and bail conditions reduced the risk of absconding or witness tampering.

Button is accused of driving dangerously fast in thick fog and telling passengers to "fasten your seatbelts" moments before losing control at a roundabout and smashing into a guard rail before the bus tipped and crashed.

The magistrate said Button was clearly suffering along with the rest of the community.

His case returns to court in August.

Police are still working to contact the families of those killed, with victims spread across three states.

However, the close-knit regional town of Singleton has borne the brunt of the tragedy, with seven locals killed in the crash including junior doctor Rebecca Mullen.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the young doctor's life had been taken too soon.

"This has made a very dark day even darker for NSW Health," he told reporters.

Singleton mother Nadene McBride and daughter Kyah McBridge were also killed in the crash, with her husband being treated in hospital.

Husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott also died, leaving behind two young children.

Singleton mayor Sue Moore said the small community was struggling to come to terms with the extent of the loss, given so many people had connections with victims.

The crash was a tragic end to the fairytale wedding of Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell, both members of the Singleton Roosters footy club.

The tragedy has sparked a national debate about seatbelt laws, with several states open to tougher rules in a bid to improve passenger safety.

It's unclear whether passengers in the Hunter Valley crash were wearing seatbelts but speaking in general terms, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was the driver's responsibility to ensure passengers buckled up.

He said counselling centres had opened in Singleton and Branxton to help anyone affected by the tragedy.

"Everybody in the state has been really traumatised by these terrible events," Mr Minns said.

Speaking in federal parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked frontline workers for supporting the injured and their families, and offered condolences to everyone impacted.

"The hard truth is that mental and emotional scars of this will not fade with time - they will live with people forever," he said.

"To everyone who has been touched by this tragedy, I do want you to know that Australia wraps our arms around you."

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A bus driver was allegedly driving too fast through a roundabout moments before the vehicle careered into a guard rail, killing 10 people and injuring dozens more.

The bus was returning guests from a wedding reception at Wandin Estate winery in Lovedale to Singleton, about 20 minutes away.

Brett Button, 58, will face a country court on Tuesday on 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death after Sunday evening's crash in the NSW Hunter Valley devastated families across three states.

Acting Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said police believed Button was "driving in a manner that was inconsistent with the conditions".

"Obviously, the speed was too quick to negotiate that roundabout, causing the vehicle to fall on its side," he told reporters.

The guard rail on Wine Country Drive near Greta was a major factor in the severity of the crash and the scene was very confronting for first responders, Mr Waddell said.

"It was a very chaotic scene," he said.

Button was taken to hospital for mandatory testing but was released into police custody, where he remained ahead of his court appearance.

Some 14 people crash victims remain in hospitals across the Hunter Valley and Sydney, including two in intensive care at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.

The group's injuries range from deep cuts to broken bones and prognoses vary.

Police were still working to contact all families of those killed in the crash, who are spread across regional NSW, Melbourne and Queensland.

The victims are aged from their 20s to their 60s.

Premier Chris Minns said trauma counselling centres would open in Singleton and Branxton to help anyone affected by the tragedy.

"It's available for the community to come and get trauma counselling and speak to health professionals if they need to," he told Nine's Today program.

"Everybody in the state has been really traumatised by these terrible events," he said.

"It's the government's responsibility and the local council's responsibility to be there for them not just in the immediate glare of the accident but in the weeks and months to come."

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Tracy Chapman on Monday said emergency responders smashed the front windscreen of the bus in order to pull people from the wreckage.

The crash was a tragic end to the fairytale wedding of Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell, both highly involved members of local AFL club the Singleton Roosters.

The Warrandyte Cricket Club in Victoria, where Mr Gaffney previously lived, said a number of its members were involved in the crash.

Police have begun taking witness statements from survivors.

"They're providing a version of, or witness statement in terms of what they experienced and that will assist us with our inquiries and furthering that investigation," Ms Chapman said.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the use of seatbelts would be one of the matters looked at by the coroner.

"Whether they were actually wearing seatbelts or not ... certainly all of that will come under scrutiny," she said.

"Again that will be a matter the coroner will have a look and ultimately the driver will have to think about that for the rest of his life."

© AAP 2023

NSW coach Brad Fittler has landed on halfback Mitchell Moses as the man to save his job in one of five changes to the Blues team for the must-win second State of Origin match on June 21.

Two debutants, North Queensland hooker Reece Robson and Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu, have been included in the 17. Both have previously featured in the Blues' extended squad.

Origin I debutants Tevita Pangai Jr and Nicho Hynes headline the omissions, with Stephen Crichton also dropping to 18th man to make way for Latrell Mitchell on the South Sydney star's return from a calf injury.

Hynes' relegation is the harshest. The Cronulla halfback has been among the form players in the NRL for the past two seasons and had only 12 minutes of game time on his Origin debut.

But after Moses' masterful performance in Parramatta's 34-12 win over the Bulldogs on Monday, and with Fittler reverting to previous plans of carrying a hooker on the bench, there was no room for the reigning Dally M medallist.

Utoikamanu has bumped Pangai from the forward pack rotation after twice being selected on the extended bench - most recently in this year's Origin I.

Second-rower Hudson Young, the third debutant from the series opener game, has held onto his spot despite a quiet showing in the first game.

Liam Martin (head) and Cameron Murray (groin) have been named, despite suffering injuries since the opener.

Dropped for the series opener, South Sydney hooker Damien Cook has earned an Origin recall after Api Koroisau went down with a jaw injury.

For only the second time at Origin level, Moses has been given the nod to mastermind the Blues at halfback, with Nathan Cleary sidelined through a hamstring injury.

The pressure is already on Moses after Fittler opted to select him ahead of Adam Reynolds despite the Brisbane halfback's big-game experience and intimate knowledge of Suncorp Stadium.

The game could hardly be more crucial for the Blues or Fittler.

Fittler has previously conceded his job will be under pressure if the Blues go 2-0 down.

He is currently the longest continually serving Blues coach but is in danger of losing back-to-back series if NSW cannot level after dropping game one.

NSW Blues:

1. James Tedesco (c)

2. Brian To'o

3. Latrell Mitchell

4. Tom Trbojevic

5. Josh Addo-Carr

6. Jarome Luai

7. Mitchell Moses

8. Junior Paulo

9. Damien Cook

10. Payne Haas

11. Tyson Frizell

12. Hudson Young

13. Isaah Yeo

14. Stefano Utoikamanu

15. Cameron Murray

16. Liam Martin

17. Reece Robson

18. Stephen Crichton

19. Keaon Koloamatangi

© AAP 2023