In that time the South Coast has battled fires, flood, drought and is in a pandemic.

When you consider all the devastation, job loss and hardship, the shambolic and messy campaign for Gilmore seems trivial.

The wake left by the Currowan fire is still difficult to comprehend, the fire burnt for 74 days, across 499,621 hectares. Approximately 312 homes were destroyed and another 173 damaged.

"It has just been the most extraordinary, harrowing year for everyone," Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips said.

"It's not like business as usual for an MP, that'd be fair to say."

Fiona Phillips' election in Gilmore was in some ways an anomaly, the only new seat gained by Labor in an election nobody expected them to lose.

A political career is something Fiona Phillips had been aspiring to for a while.

Her first major foray into politics started in 2009, when she led the campaign to Save Nowra Pool.

Then in 2012, she took her first run for public office at the Shoalhaven City Council elections, running on a ticket with Greg Watson.

After not being elected to council she ran for the state seat of South Coast in 2015, and then had two cracks at Gilmore in 2016 and finally won the seat in 2019.

Maybe her past political defeats had help mentally prepare her as despite the unpredictable events of the past six months, she said the job had been what she'd expected.

"It's exactly what I thought it would be like and I think that's the thing when you're an MP, you've got to be prepared for anything," she said.

"I get people ringing me about all sorts of things and to be able to help people... it's just really nice."

But hearing so many traumatic and heartwrenching stories day after day takes a personal toll.

"I remember at one point, before the election, I went away and had this gut pain from just hearing these stories.

"That was drought back then... and then to go through the bushfires.

"But I need to stay strong and bring those stories to the parliament."

Keeping fit and walking the dog has helped her mental health through the past six months.

"That, to be honest, is really what's got me through."

"Just taking that little bit of time out, even if it's 30 minutes a day, just to clear my head."

Fiona said she was proud of her efforts during the bushfire crisis, delivering bottled water, going to RFS stations and staging areas.

"During the bushfires there wasn't a day I wasn't out with people... Christmas Day, didn't matter what day, whether it was a Sunday or New Year's Day.

"I was out there and helping and it's a real privilege to be able to do that."

The Gilmore MP said it hadn't been easy to focus on issues other than the bushfires and coronavirus but believes she has had some "wins" in her first year.

"'I'm really happy that we have had some wins.

"I've been continually fighting for them, which has been a bit disappointing that you have to fight that hard for some simple things."

Phillips said one of those wins was getting the South Coast declared in drought.

The NSW government had declared the region in drought but the federal government didn't recognise the South Coast as being drought effected which meant farmers couldn't apply for assistance loans.

"I went on and on about that in the parliament, eventually had a meeting with the minister and they actually changed it."

Two other achievements she listed were the $10,000 bushfire grants for business and the federal government bringing forward the $145 million commitment for the Princes Highway.

"Early January on radio I called out for a cash injection for businesses impacted by the bushfires.

"I talked about an unfolding economic crisis on the New South Wales South Coast and I called that out hard.

"I had various meetings and met with the head of the National Disaster Recovery agency, another meeting with the minister."

With two years now remaining in her current term, other than bushfire recovery, she wants to focus on infrastructure and investment.

"I just don't think the federal government recognises the value of our local towns to our area, and the businesses and jobs.

"Our area should be an absolute powerhouse. We've got great things happening when you look at defence industry. We've got great businesses but I think councils, in particular, have been let down."