How does one judge the comparative advantage of living in a swinging seat compared to a 'safe' seat during election time?

One way is to look at the spending promises of a marginal seat campaign, then compare the results with a so-called 'safe' seat.

The seat of Gilmore on the New South Wales south coast has been held variously by Liberal and Labor over the years.

It's a hotly contested marginal seat.

Gilmore is currently held by Liberal Joanna Gash, but has become notionally Labor due to a boundary distribution.

In contrast to her party leader Tony Abbott, Joanna Gash has been splashing out with the cash in a big way.

So far during the election campaign she has made commitments for her regional electorate worth a colossal $69 million or more.

Her ALP opponent Neil Reilly, who got off to a slow start after the ALP head office initially picked a different candidate, has made promises worth $7.5 million.

In other words, for every dollar Mr Reilly is promising, Ms Gash is promising $9.20.

Ms Gash's largest amount pledged so far has been $25 million for an Australian Technical College, to be located somewhere in Jervis Bay.

Tony Abbott promised $20 million for the Princes Highway at Termeil during a visit to Gilmore, and Ms Gash committed $10 million to kick-start development of a controversial marina at Shell Cove, in the predominantly Labor-voting northern tip of the electorate.

Mr Reilly's biggest announcement for the ALP has been $7 million for a GP Super Clinic in Nowra.

Meanwhile up the road in the safe Labor seat of Cunningham, centred on Wollongong and its northern suburbs, the total pledges for both candidates combined amount to a big fat zero.

The sitting member Sharon Bird holds the seat for the ALP with a comfortable margin of 16.9 per cent.

It's what ABC election analyst Antony Green calls a 'Very Safe' Labor seat.

Cunningham is the electorate that was famously won by Greens candidate Michael Organ in October 2002.

This temporary aberration occurred when the long standing Labor member, Stephen Martin, resigned mid-term and the Liberals didn't run a candidate in the subsequent by-election.

The preference flows of all the non-Labor candidates were directed to the Greens, which got them across the line.

This time around the Liberals initially promised a real contest, then put forward a candidate who doesn't issue media releases, debate the other candidates or make himself available for media interviews.

When it's pointed out to Sharon Bird that she has made zero election announcements involving new spending in her electorate, she says its got nothing to do with it being a 'very safe' seat.

"Anyone can go to my website and see there has been about $400 million invested in the seat of Cunningham over the last two and a half years," she said.

She also points to visits to her electorate during the election campaign by the Minister for Veteran Affairs, the Minister for Ageing and the Arts Minister, Peter Garrett.

Down the road in Gilmore, there have been visits by the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, the Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop and former Prime Minister, John Howard. And that's just to name a few.

Somehow the election light seems to shine far more brightly on the people of Gilmore at election time.

Whether Joanna Gash goes on to deliver $69 million worth of promises will be interesting to watch.

The Liberals have to win government first.

Nick McLaren is a journalist with 97.3 ABC Illawarra.