Port Stephens will likely prove to be a key win for whoever is successful at the seat in the state election.
The Liberal-National and Labor parties have fought fierce campaigns to win the marginal seat, with major commitments made by both parties.
In a final message to voters, incumbent Labor MP Kate Washington reinforced her party's clear message that it will prioritise schools and hospitals over stadiums.
"The voters should be sending a very clear message to this government, that they do not want stadiums in Sydney,
That they want to see local hospitals and local schools resources before splurging billions of dollars on wasteful stadiums." said Ms Washington.
Kate Washington's key opponent, Liberal candidate Jaimie Abbott, said voters need to consider the benefits they've seen during the Berejiklian government's term.
"The people of Port Stephens have a choice, they can go back to the same old Labor where sixteen years they ran our budget into the ground,
Or they can choose the Liberals, who've been able to pay back the debt and rebuild the budget to be able to invest in important infrastructure here in Port Stephens." said Ms Abbott.
The duplication of Nelson Bay Road, the reacquisition of the Mambo Wetlands and Tafe funding have proved to be the key issues throughout the campaign.
The Key Issues:
Nelson Bay Road Duplication
Both parties have pledged funds for this long-awaited project.
The Liberal-Nationals have pledged a total of $275 million dollars for the duplication of Nelson Bay Road.
Former Premier Mike Baird announced $70 million dollars in 2015 for duplication of the stretch between Stockton Bridge and Anna Bay, boosted by an additional commitment made by Premier Glady Berejiklian in January this year of $205 million dollars for the duplication of Williamtown to Bobs Farm.
NSW Labor last week announced a commitment of $600-million-dollars to fund the full duplication of the road.
The opposition's commitment would see the project delivered in three stages and is dependent on the party winning office for a second term.
TAFE Funding
TAFE cuts have proved to be an important issue across the state and most of the Hunter, with a number of Labor and Independent candidates from the region drawing attention to recent concerns raised by TAFE staff.
The NSW Liberal-National government announced in February it would fund the construction of a new TAFE campus at Nelson Bay, which Labor criticised at the time for lacking detail.
It was later revealed the Coalition's plan would see a Connected Learning Centre built, similar to the campus opened at Singleton earlier this year.
"This is a really exciting model of service delivery for those communities where there aren't sufficient students for a full-on apprenticeship course," said Duty MLC Catherine Cusack.
"This offers an opportunity to deliver these courses locally, whether it be hairdressing, all of these apprentices who otherwise have to travel into Newcastle, and therefore we're not getting the TAFE participation rates we'd like."
Mambo Wetlands
Both incumbent Labor MP Kate Washington and Liberal Candidate Jaimie Abbott have expressed support for a state government acquisition of the Mambo Wetlands following the Department of Education's sale of the site in 2016.
The Berejiklian Government indicated early last year it would explore its options for purchasing the Wetlands and later claimed the owner would not accept an offer to purchase the site.
NSW Labor promised in March 2018 it will buy back the land through compulsory acquisition if elected.
