Ms Bird spoke in federal parliament this week about the lack of funding received by the Illawarra in the recent budget.

She related the Mercury’s efforts to carry out a word search of the budget papers for “Wollongong” or “Illawarra”, only to be told “no results found to match your search”.

“This has been the story of this government since the very first budget after they were elected,” Ms Bird said.

The federal MP made particular reference to Labor’s $50 million in funding for the Maldon-Dombarton rail line, which went missing when the Coalition took over.

“In the first budget of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott this government took away that $50 million for progressing that important rail link,” she said.

“That rail links connects south-west and Western Sydney to the port at Kembla.”

The rail line would take freight off the South Coast line, leaving it free for passenger services.

Ms Bird said it was vital the freight rail link be constructed, citing a government report acquired by NSW Labor MP for Wollongong Paul Scully under an FOI request.

Ms Bird said that Transport for NSW report “tells us that in the very near future if we don’t take action there will be at most eight pathways available for freight on the current Illawarra line and potentially none on the eastern seaboard to the port of Kembla”.

“I’m absolutely at a loss to understand why this government, over all the time it has been in charge since 2013, has not invested anything in the transport infrastructure in Wollongong and the Illawarra more broadly,” she said.