Mr Barr said the station is in desparate need of repairs and should be prioritised for a rebuild.

“The current station has not changed since before the current Police Minister (Deputy Premier Troy Grant) was stationed there in his previous career so I will keep lobbying the government for this station to be upgraded,” he said.

“Historically we were on the list for a rebuild, but now Cessnock has disappeared from that list.

“It’s unacceptable and unexplainable.”

Most of the funding located to the Cessnock electorate in the 2016/17 budget – which was released last Tuesday – will go to road upgrades.

This includes $2.8 million for pavement rebuilding on Wine Country Drive at Nulkaba;  $1.4 million for installation of a median safety barrier along Leggetts Drive, Brunkerville and $1.17 million for shoulder widening, installation of kerbside safety barrier, and reshaping curve on John Renshaw Drive, Buchanan.

The budget will provide $200,000 for a pedestrian crossing facility on Lang Street between Mitchell Avenue and Merthyr Street, Kurri Kurri.

It also includes $500,000 towards the two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Maitland Road and Duffie Drive, Cessnock (in addition to last year’s $2 million allocation for this project).

Transport for NSW has allocated $722,000 to allow Cessnock Community Transport Inc and Coalfields Neighbour Care to continue many community programs.

The budget provided the balance of funding to construct the new $1 million Abermain fire station.

The first $350,000 for the new fire station came from last year’s state budget.

Mr Barr said he would have liked to have seen funding towards the replacement of Frame Drive bridge in the NSW budget, considering the impact of the Hunter Expressway traffic on that road.

“It’s a no-brainer,” he said.

Mr Barr was also disappointed that no funding had been allocated in the budget to buy 40 blocks of land surrounding the Butterfly Cave, to protect the sacred Aboriginal place at West Wallsend.