Major investments have been made in jobs and services to assist the local community, including fire and emergency service protection, education, roads and the environment.

More than $28 million has been allocated to providing fire trucks and fire control centres to various locations in the Hunter, including Muswellbrook.

The Muswellbrook TAFE Mining Industry Skills Centre will receive $239,000 this year and Liddell Power Station will receive part of $7.5 million from the Climate Change Fund.

The highly demanded F3 Freeway – Hunter Expressway has been allocated an additional $50 million, with the project due for completion in 2013.

Roads and health were also targeted in the budget as well as benefits for property buyers.

The Upper Hunter Road network was allocated $39.3 million with $7.1 million to replace Fitzgerald Bridge on the New England Highway in Aberdeen.

A 500kV generator transformer upgrade at Bayswater Power Station will also be made possible by a $4.3 million boost.

NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal said this year’s budget invests in jobs to build a better future for NSW.

Member for Upper Hunter George Souris said the budget would ring alarm bells all over the state with a record budget deficit of $1.33 billion.

“The economy is predicted to experience a negative growth rate of minus 0.5 per cent which will come as a shock given the positive growth rate prediction in the Federal Budget brought down only weeks ago.

“The budget papers also indicate budget deficits are predicted for NSW in the subsequent two years 2009/10 - $990 million and 2010/11 - $116 million,” he said.