Her comments come amidst ongoing concerns that Dapto residents will have limited access to the Albion Park Bypass.

Unless the Yallah interchange is built at the northern end of the bypass, Dapto residents won't be able to use the new road to head south.

Instead, they’ll have to continue to use the Princes Highway and its multiple sets of traffic lights.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward this week described the interchange as “supplementary”.

He stated companies tendering for the project have been asked to consider the interchange in their bid, but it still needs to fit within the budget.

While Labor is yet to commit to funding the Albion Park Rail Bypass, Ms Watson was not impressed with this news.

“In his statement, the Member for Kiama has admitted tenderers have been advised to consider this critical element of the project in their costings but, if it doesn’t fit within the government’s budget, to just cut the interchange and hang Dapto out to dry,” Ms Watson said.

Roads and Maritime Services has previously stated that traffic modelling showed there was not an immediate need for the interchange.

Should traffic volume increase in later years through housing developments in the West Dapto area coming online, the interchange can then be added.

If this was to occur Mr Ward – also the member for Kiama – had suggested the developers should foot the bill for the interchange.

Ms Watson claimed Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed Dapto and West Dapto’s population was 22,000 compared to just over 20,000 at Albion Park and Albion Park Rail.

“The residents of Albion Park, a suburb which just happens to fall within the Member for Kiama’s electorate, have rightly been provided with access to the bypass,” Ms Watson said.

“I’m just asking for equal treatment for the residents of Dapto and West Dapto.”

Ms Watson took issue with Mr Ward’s retort that “this is not the Dapto bypass”.

“I remind the Member for Kiama that the name of the bypass is drawn from the area it bypasses, not the suburbs he believes deserves access to the project,” she said.

“Every single resident of our region should benefit from this project: not just those in his own electorate.”

The Shellharbour MP has also launched a petition calling on the government to build the interchange “so that local Dapto and West Dapto residents will be able to easily access the Albion Park Rail Bypass”.