Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham has challenged Julia Gillard to unveil new policies that meet the needs of the people of Western Sydney during her visit next week.

THEY struggle with power bills and cost of living pressures and overwhelmingly they rank Julia Gillard's week-long Rooty Hill sleepout an election "stunt".

More than 4500 Daily Telegraph readers responded to an online survey about Ms Gillard's western Sydney campaign, which starts with a rally of ALP faithful tomorrow night.

About 4000, or 88.6 per cent, of respondents said they thought Ms Gillard's decision to sleep at Rooty Hill RSL, rather than commute from her official Kirribilli residence, was a "political stunt because the election is looming".

More than three-quarters of people said they rated the federal government's performance on issues to do with western Sydney as terrible with another 15.8 rating it very bad. Just under 4 per cent ranked the government's performance as excellent or very good.

In a glimpse of what voters in the region want to raise with Ms Gillard, 74.2 per cent said cost of living pressures while 61.8 per cent said rising power bills. Both hip-pocket issues ranked well ahead of health, transport and education.

Almost half of those who responded said they spend more than an hour commuting each day with 21.9 per cent spending more than 90 minutes travelling.

Galaxy Research's David Briggs said while the survey was not scientific, it was a glimpse of the mood of voters.

"You have got to be cautious in interpreting these results. Quite clearly it doesn't appear at this stage as if the week-long campaign in western Sydney will do Julia Gillard much good because it is widely considered by your readers as merely a political stunt," he said.

Part of Ms Gillard's Rooty Hill trip will include a federal cabinet meeting at Blacktown's Council chambers before a meeting with south Asian community groups.

Kevin Rudd yesterday defended the government's western Sydney campaign, saying the government had a "physical record of achievement in the region."

"It's the hospitals and the schools and the national broadband network," he said.

Former state Labor minister David Borger, who now works for the Sydney Business Chamber on western Sydney matters, said the region most needed jobs that were close to people's homes.

Ms Gillard yesterday joined children at their temporary school in Dunalley after much of the Tasmanian town was destroyed by a bushfire in January and offered government help to rebuild the community hall.