IT DOESN'T appear in campaign brochures or newspaper advertisements but everywhere you go in Toongabbie it's the issue that resonates - how the local MP, Nathan Rees, was ousted as premier by Kristina Keneally.

Asked if he detected sympathy as he knocks on doors and campaigns in the shopping strips, Rees told the Herald: ''Every day, every day. Whether that means people will vote for you is an another question but there's certainly a strong feeling that, 'Look, Nathan, you were dudded, you deserved more time in that job'. People are unhappy about it.''

Nathan Rees. Credit:Nicolas Walker

On the fence outside the home of Sam Hari, in Seven Hills, hangs a poster that reads, pointedly: ''We standing by Nathan Rees.''

The subliminal message is clear: his colleagues may have betrayed him, but the electorate will not. ''I did not like the way he was removed,'' said Hari, a Seven Hills resident for 27 years. He was ''inclined'' to vote Labor, despite being unhappy with the government, but is only committed because Rees is running.