The so-called duty MLC for Hawkesbury listed a raft of gains released by Mr Roozendaal to lukewarm applause last week:

Some $22.4 million for road upgrades and traffic management, including $5 million for resurfacing works on Wisemans Ferry and Sackville Ferry roads;

$775,254 for community transport servicing Hawkesbury and surrounding areas;

$540,000 for upgrades to local schools under the Principals' Priority Building Program; and

$120,000 towards funds for building upgrades and new trucks at the Hawkesbury SES unit.

Capital works will also be undertaken to establish a HealthOne NSW service at Rouse Hill as part of a $12.6m state-wide enhancement.

But Hawkesbury MP Ray Williams was unimpressed, calling the Government ``failed economic managers''.

He said: ``It's the worst state budget deficit ever delivered by a government for NSW and offers nothing for the necessary infrastructure for growing suburbs across the Hawkesbury.''

Mr Roozendaal described his budget as a ``beacon of hope''. But it offered no hope for the transport-starved residents of The Hills as the Government pushes ahead with an unwanted $5.3 billion City Metro to nowhere instead of fast-tracking rail to the burgeoning north-west.

The budget the first since Mr Roozendaal's disastrous November mini-budget contains very optimistic assumptions about asset sales and the early repayment of a $1.34 billion deficit for 2008-09. He forecasts a surplus of $86 million by 2011-21, a figure greeted with cynicism by many commentators.

It predicts unemployment growing to 8.5 per cent over the next two years, up almost 4 per cent on 2007.

The only real surprise after all the recent leaks was the halving of stamp duty for investors buying new houses worth less than $600,0000, for six months only. This will save an estimated 10,000 people about $11,245 each.