Cr Lawrence has announced his intention to stand against Mr Grant at the 2019 state election, but is yet to be officially preselected by the Country Labor party to stand.

But the war of words continues through the media, with Cr Lawrence labelling Mr Grant “thin-skinned” in challenging him to a public debate.

In response, Mr Grant labelled Cr Lawrence “a liar” over his claims Dubbo’s Essential Energy warehouse was closing, and claims NSW Police Force spending had fallen by more than $480 million in the past financial year.

That figure, from the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services, was disputed by Mr Grant who said that with “record numbers”, infrastructure investment and “ground-breaking” health and wellbeing program, “our police force is the strongest it has ever been”.

“I am now challenging the Police Minister to a public debate, streamed live on Facebook or the internet, over crime and policing issues. Then the public can decide the truth of these matters,” Cr Lawrence said.

“‘Grubby, ‘liar’, ‘wanker’ and ‘juvenile’. These are just some of the ways Troy Grant has described people he doesn’t agree with. This kind of carry on is what turns people off politics these days.

“Thin skinned Troy Grant would do well to model himself on our federal MP Mr. Mark Coulton, a politician who is invariably dignified and appropriate in the way he engages in politics.”

Speaking following Monday’s funding announcement at Narromine, Mr Grant said “I have been given an assurance that they [Essential Energy’s Dubbo warehouse] are not closing as Stephen Lawrence alleges they are”.

“He can throw all the mud he likes,” Mr Grant said.

“This is the guy that wants to debate me. Well I’m not debating him on lies and myth. When he starts having a serious conversation closer to the election I’m happy to debate him any day of the week. But I’m not going to engage in any mud-slinging effort that he’s trying to promote.

“If you keep on this path, I’m not sure your preselectors are going to want to select a liar and someone who’s going to drop down the credibility of any future Labor campaign.”

Cr Lawrence hit back, saying “if Troy continues with those sort of overheated slanders and accusation, he might actually assist my preselection”.

“I haven’t lied about anything,” Cr Lawrence said.

“Troy has seen fit to respond to things that I have said recently … yet he won’t debate me. This is very contradictory behaviour by Troy.

“It’s a matter for Troy the language and the tone he chooses to use … it’s a matter for others to asses how we both behave but I believe I have consistently tried to obtain a higher standard in terms of political debate than the standard that Troy has lowered himself to.”