When NSW Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, didn't show for a community opening of the highway at the weekend, the assembled group improvised with a BYO cut-out.
But a spokeswoman for the NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay said the stunt was nothing more than "titillation for the media".
Braving the snow, about 30 people joined Member for Blue Mountains, Trish Doyle, at Bullaburra on Saturday to declare the final section of the widened Great Western Highway open, and the four lanes from the Lower Mountains to Katoomba complete.
Ms Doyle said she invited the minister "three times, but I never got a response".
"Thankfully though, there was a stand-in on hand to assist with the official proceedings," she added. Ms Doyle said the community was "pretty miffed at the snub by the Baird government".
"When news got around that the Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, had refused to mark the occasion, I was contacted by people from across the community. The message was clear; we should put on our own event," Ms Doyle said.
The cardboard cut-out of Minister Gay was paraded for the photo line-up at the impromptu opening by Cooranga Street.
Mr Gay's office issued a statement on Monday to the Gazette after hearing about his cardboard stand-in.
"Labor spent hours on 'art and craft' to recognise Roads Minister Duncan Gay - the bloke who has pumped more than $650 million since 2011 to fast-track major upgrades to the Great Western Highway. This is the largest investment in the highway in the history of the state, dwarfing Labor allocations when in office by a massive 30 per cent," a spokeswoman said.
"Therein lies the difference between the Coalition and Labor - we focus on building critical infrastructure, whereas Labor focuses on spin and gimmicks to titillate the media."
Mayor Mark Greenhill, Adam Searle MLC and Labor ward councillors Annette Bennett and Romola Hollywood also attended the opening.
"Being a community run event, rather than a ministerial photo-op, it allowed us to do the opening in style," Ms Doyle said.
"We pulled off a DIY rainbow crossing to celebrate our LGBTI community, we had former RTA personnel in attendance who spoke about the fascinating history of the project, and I also got to hear from members of the community who are still frustrated by the Baird government's Bullaburra bridge to nowhere."
