Prime Minister Scott Morrison remained tight-lipped about the plans during a visit to Newcastle Airport on Friday, but confirmed the government was still weighing up whether to proceed with the project after Energy Australia's announcement that it would build a 300 megawatt "fast start" megawatt gas-fired power station in the Illawarra region.

The government announced in September last year that it would build a gas power plant at the former Hydro aluminium smelter site Kurri Kurri if the energy sector does not replace the capacity lost from the closure of Liddell power station, giving the industry until the end of April 2021 to show it can replace the capacity of Liddell (which will close in 2023).

That deadline has passed, but the government is yet to confirm its plans.

"The PM and his government should get on with it and stop mucking us around," Ms Swanson said.

"Over the past 12 months, the PM has graced us with two fleeting visits to re-announce this project that he may not deliver.

"If he cared about the residents of my electorate, he would spend real time talking with locals about their issues.

"Our community wants real jobs and opportunities from the government, not lip service."

Tuesday's federal budget is set to include $58.6 million worth of new measures to drive the government's gas-fired recovery strategy.

Greens mayoral candidate for Cessnock, Janet Murray said the Prime Minister was "putting the cart before the horse".

"Mr Morrison has decided that we need a gas-led recovery in the Hunter and seems determined to foist a gas-fired power station on Kurri, whether we like it or not," she said.

"Had he spoken to people in the Hunter, rather than the gas industry, he would have got a very different answer about what we need.

"The Hunter needs commitment to a serious achievable plan to transition out of fossil fuels and into renewables, supported by batteries, pumped hydro and demand management, with training and redeployment of people from the coal and power industries.

"A gas-fired power plant will not solve the unemployment problems in Kurri and the Coalfields.

"The Coalfields need sustainable jobs in industries of the future, not to be fobbed off with a handful of jobs in last century's technology."

Ms Murray said the former Hydro smelter site (where the Kurri Kurri gas plant is proposed to be built) would be the perfect place for a local renewable energy industrial precinct, which would support the Hunter's innovators in manufacturing and technology.