HUNTER MPs are concerned money for "continued planning" on local projects will see them gather dust on the shelf, while others were completely overlooked.
Widely regarded as "hit and miss" across the region's electorates, the budget left Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison non-plussed.
Her electorate received an additional $1.2 million for continued planning on Hillsborough Road and the completion of the pinch-point where Northcott Drive and Kahibah Road intersect with the Pacific Highway.
"People are well and truly ready to see shovels in the ground, people don't want to see continued planning for a plan to sit on the shelf - which is what people are concerned about," she said.
"It was only a few years ago that we saw the tragic death of a young girl on Hillsborough Road as a result of the fact that Hillsborough Road is an unsafe road.
"There have been some minor changes to Hillsborough Road in that time, but it needs a massive injection of work and money and this dribbling in of planning money is really a joke."
One of the bigger financial wins for the region, the announcement of a further $1.4 billion over the next four years for cotinued planning on the M1 extension to Raymond Terrace, also raised eyebrows.
A total of $117.9 million was allocated to the project in Tuesday's NSW budget.
It sounds good, but it needs to be put into perspective, Swansea MP Yasmin Catley said.
"This is $117 million for more planning, we've been hearing about planning since the 2015 budget," she said.
"The total build is $1.4 billion, this is less than 10 per cent of the overall budget - so again we aren't going to see much happen there on the M1 and we know that this is a critical piece of infrastructure that all of the Hunter MPs have been calling for.
"It's the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle."
Meanwhile, she said calls for upgrades to the 'unsafe and chaotic' Carters Road were completely ignored.
"Again the government has ignored it, it's a government that just doesn't understand regional NSW and how critical these minor projects are and what a huge difference they would make to people's lives," Ms Catley said.
Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said at least $5 million from Origin Energy towards the $40 million Lake Macquarie Sport and Recreation Centre it will entirely fund at Morisset locks in a start.
"It was never going to be fully-funded this time, because you couldn't do it," he said.
Major projects like the Hunter Park development, which would transform 63 hectares surrounding McDonald Jones Stadium, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre and Newcastle Showground into a lifestyle precinct didn't get a look-in - after receiving $6.7 million in 2021 to prepare a full business case.
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said it's going to need a significant investment of funds looking forward.
"I've been pushing for the final plan of that for seven years, we got the money for the business case last year but a year on we'd be hoping for some money to actually start the project itself," he said.
In Cessnock, the hospital redevelopment was given $500,000 for planning, which local MP Clayton Barr said was ''a bit light on".
"If we continue to get that amoung of money it will take up to 200 years to build, so it would have been nice to see a bigger chunk of money to allow Hunter New England Health to acquire land, demolish buildings or push some dirt around," he said.
It was a similar situation for Maitland, handed $500,000 for an integrated community and mental health service.
"There's only half-a-million dollars for a $22 million project, but I am taking comfort in the fact it is in the papers," local MP Jenny Aitchison said.
"We need to make sure it is actually delivered, it took 11 years to get the new Maitland hospital constructed, we can't afford to wait that long."
Other projects noticeably unfunded in the budget included the 700 megawatt Waratah battery, to be located near Eraring power station, any new schools outside of the $16.6 million Newcastle education precinct, upgrades to the tight-squeeze of an ambulance station at Beresfield or the provision of new bus services.
