Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald  said the funding will deliver an upgraded roundabout at the corner Nelson Bay Road and Medowie Road Williamtown in the 2018-19 financial year and complete planning for an upgraded intersection between Nelson Bay Road and Lemon Tree Passage Road. Though he said the $8.3 million wouldn’t please everyone.

“I expect people to say ‘do more faster’,” he said.

And it hasn’t pleased Port Stephens MP Kate Washington who was disappointed that an election promise made in 2015 was taking so long.

“The Nelson Bay Road funding announcement in 2015 was for a full duplication and $70 million," Ms Washington said.

“And now all we’re getting [in this budget] is a roundabout?”

Port Stephens has awaited allocation of the $70 million since past premier Mike Baird promised the full duplication in 2015.

“What I can say is that we’re starting and I will be onto the RMS [Roads and Maritime Services] to keep up the work. I’m generally happy with the budget for Port Stephens and this allocation will allow the RMS to get on with the intersection upgrade,” Mr MacDonald  said.

The intersection upgrades were last raised in August 2017 when Mr MacDonald issued a media release to advise that $6 million would be spent between the two roundabouts, though he made no commitment on when, at that time.

Elsewhere in the budget Mr MacDonald said there would be $5.5 million spent on Tanilba Bay’s waste water treatment works however he provided little details as to what the money would be spent on.

The Regional Freight Program receives a $4.3 million boost to continue planning for the Pacific Motorway Services extension to Raymond Terrace and Hexham Straight widening.

The state government has also poured $800,000 into the development of an IT system to help track PFAS contamination, as part of an expected $1 million spend – an announcement, that according to Ms Washington was of “little substance”.

“Williamtown residents I've spoken with were surprised to learn there’s a million dollar IT project in the budget to 'track PFAS', and so was I”, she said.

“The EPA hasn't explained what the project is about, or how it will operate, or what kind of new information it will provide. I can certainly think of many ways a million dollars could help the families affected by this contamination, but I can't say an IT system is at the top of that list.

“Once again, the residents are the last to find out about these projects, when they should be at the centre of the decisions being made.”

Ms Washington added that funding for a buyback of land adjacent to Mambo Wetlands, money for a high school at Medowie and dredging near the commercial slipway at Cove Marine, Oyster Cove were all ‘glaring budget absences’.

Rounding out the budget was the $6.7 million announced a week ago for upgraded walking trails around Tomaree Headland.

“For Port Stephens this budget is a continuation of works we’ve already committed to and it fits in well with the Hunter plan,” Mr MacDonald said.