The visit could well be the opening salvo in the battle for Gilmore. Sitting on a relatively thin margin, improved slightly by boundary changes, the fate of the Turnbull government will rest in part on the outcome in this all too often overlooked electorate.

Interestingly, the Register was initially alerted to the Prime Minister’s visit not by the government or the local Liberal Party but by the Labor Party. A phone call to a Liberal Party source verified the visit – and revealed a little disquiet because some members only received their invitations to a party fundraiser at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Monday. 

Internal bickering aside, the PM’s visit presents a good opportunity to highlight some of the issues that will colour the local election campaign. 

One that’s been raised by local state MP Gareth Ward is funding for improvements to the Princes Highway. He took a pot shot at Labor candidate Fiona Phillips, saying she would have to step up and secure a pledge of federal funding for the remaining stage of the upgrade, from Berry to Bomaderry.  

Mrs Phillips wasn’t the only target, however. With just $10 million pledged by Canberra for planning of the new river crossing over the Shoalhaven River, while the NSW government has ploughed almost $1 billion into the highway improvements, Mr Ward’s comments were an indirect poke at Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis.

Sadly, many of the other issues affecting Gilmore are echoes of past campaigns. 

Topping the agenda is unemployment. Recent figures from the Brotherhood of Saint Laurence identified Shoalhaven as a youth unemployment hot spot. The electorate remains a laggard when it comes to employment across all age groups. Any job growth tends to be project-driven and transitory. 

Aged care and health will also be hot-button issues. With an elderly population that relies on Medicare, assurances will be sought that patients won’t be confronted with additional out-of-pocket expenses. 

We welcome the visit by Mr Turnbull and naturally expect his counterpart Bill Shorten to make time to explore the electorate.

Will opinion polls the way they are, neither side can afford to overlook Gilmore.