And pointed out royalties from the mining sector have been revised up by $813 million, and will deliver a record $1.8bn in this year alone, and another record $2 billion next year to help fund improved services across the state.

So the big question is why was Singleton almost neglected in the 2018-19 State Budget delivered on Tuesday as the region provides at least 50 per cent of those royalties.

Dungog, Scone and Gloucester hospitals are all mentioned in the Budget papers and will receive funding. The Deputy Premier may have recently announced an additional $50 million funding round for the Resources for Regions program but in the last round Singleton missed out completely.

“The Singleton community will be disappointed that despite a promise from the Nationals and Michael Johnsen to commence ‘actual construction’ and allocate $93m to the town’s bypass, nothing like that sum has been assigned,” Country Labor Upper Hunter candidate Martin Rush said.

“Singleton rightly feels it is missing out.

“The residents are tired of Singleton’s funds propping up the NSW Budget, with $200m of its coal royalties filling the state coffers, but funding, again, a whole lot of projects in Sydney.”

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said mining royalties are expected to deliver around $7.4bn in revenue over the next four years.

 “The $1.8 billion in royalties from the NSW mining sector in 2017-18 are equivalent to almost half the 2017-18 Budget surplus, and the further $7.4 billion in royalties expected to 2021-22 will deliver over  $1 billion more than the total projected Budget surpluses for the next four years,” he said.

“Alternatively, this $7.4 billion in mining royalties would pay for the bulk of the Government’s key Budget commitments on education, including the $6 billion commitment to fund 170 new and upgraded schools and the $500 million plan to deliver air-conditioning in 1000 schools across NSW.”

He said mining communities will also welcome confirmation in the  Budget s of nearly $4 million to the Clontarf Foundation to fund an additional 1000 places in NSW to support practical action that delivers improved educational outcomes for young   Aboriginal men.