Warren Mundine loves a chat. He is affable, easy-going and relatable. He needs to be.

Key points: Former Labor president Warren Mundine was parachuted into Gilmore as the Liberal candidate

Former Labor president Warren Mundine was parachuted into Gilmore as the Liberal candidate Locally endorsed Liberal candidate Grant Schultz quit the party and is standing as an independent

Locally endorsed Liberal candidate Grant Schultz quit the party and is standing as an independent Two former Liberal Gilmore MPs are now backing Nationals candidate Katrina Hodgkinson

Spearheading the Liberal's desperate attempt to retain the ultra-marginal seat of Gilmore, on the New South Wales south coast, from a standing start was never an easy ask.

Especially when you have spent the last 14 years living in Sydney's north shore and are a former ALP president who only joined the Liberals in January.

"Everyone knows the Mundines come from the north coast ... but they're forgetting that that's my father's side of the family, and I have a mother and my mother's family comes from down here," he told 7.30.

"I've got nephews and cousins and everyone who live here. So it is like coming home for me.

"I'm a member of the south coast native title group."

There was barely anybody home when 7.30 followed Mr Mundine as he went door-knocking in Nowra a few weekends ago. But there were barking dogs aplenty.

"Look, some of them are great, some of them are very enthusiastic," he said of the locals he had visited.

"There's other ones, they are like, 'bugger off, leave us alone', type thing."

Mr Mundine's lack of localism came to a head last week, when Labor's long-standing Gilmore candidate Fiona Phillips questioned the promise to increase the age pension, which is emblazoned on his campaign bus.

"It is not their policy — he is lying to people in Gilmore. He is a phoney and he needs to go back to where he came from," was her unfortunate choice of words in an interview with WIN News Illawarra.

Mr Mundine was offended.

"To tell an Aboriginal person to go back to where they come from is one of those right-wing crazy things," he said last week.

"Obviously she doesn't understand Aboriginal culture or kinship. This is my maternal ancestors' country."

'A sad day'

Mr Mundine does not for a moment try to pretend all has been well in Gilmore's Liberal camp.

Independent candidate for Gilmore, and former Liberal Party member, Grant Schultz. ( Facebook: Grant Schultz )

"You know, we had [in the] last 12 months very much internal dysfunction within the party here," he said.

"So part of it was me coming in as a clean skin to this area. And also ... rallying the troops and getting them back together."

But if anything, Mr Mundine's parachuting into Gilmore has blown the Coalition's troops apart.

The locally endorsed Liberal candidate, Grant Schultz, quit the party and is running as an independent.

"Look, really I'm disappointed that the party I once supported came to that," Mr Schultz said.

"I'm probably sad for the membership, and for the electorate itself.

"For a party to turn its back on democracy, I think it's a sad day."

Former Liberal MPs back Nationals candidate

If that is not bad enough, the Nationals are running their own candidate against Mr Mundine.

Katrina Hodgkinson is the National Party candidate for Gilmore. ( ABC News: Gavin Coote )

Former NSW MP Katrina Hodgkinson's pitch for the seat triggered even more ructions in Coalition ranks.

She has been endorsed by the Liberals' former member for Gilmore, Ann Sudmalis, who quit the seat last September, telling Parliament she had been undermined.

"It was about ego-driven ambition, bullying and betrayal and my local position is completely untenable," Ms Sudmalis said.

The former Liberal member for Gilmore, Ann Sudmalis. ( ABC News: Justin Huntsdale )

She has been supported by her long-time friend and ally, Joanna Gash, who held Gilmore for 17 years for the Liberals before her.

"Ann's a great friend of mine. I've known her for over 40 years. And it's no secret we share a house together," Ms Gash said.

Ms Gash and Ms Sudmalis are Scott Morrison supporters, but opposed to the factionalism they say tore the local branch apart.

"Is it undemocratic? In some ways it is," Ms Gash said.

"The thing that worries me the most, and hurts me the most, is factionalism. And that has happened in the last 10 years. In our situation there has been factions."

Joanna Gash is now campaign co-ordinator for the National Party's candidate for the seat. ( ABC News: Simon Beardsell )

Ms Gash is now campaign co-ordinator for Ms Hodgkinson's Nationals campaign.

By backing a competent candidate who is a woman, is she making a point to the party?

"I guess you could say that," Ms Gash said.

And the point is that she wants more democracy, and more women candidates?

"Very true. Very true. You've summed it up nicely. Yes, well done."

With Mr Schultz choosing not to preference anyone in Gilmore, it is very difficult to predict which way the vote will go in a seat which was only retained by the Liberal Party by 1,503 votes in 2016.

"It's interesting. I always work off my gut feelings. And my gut feeling in this political campaign is not telling me a great deal, because it's so unknown," Ms Gash said.

'Part of this community all my life'

It is confusing and complicated for voters too.

Fiona Phillips has been Labor's candidate for Gilmore since 2015. ( ABC News: Simon Beardsell )

Ulladulla family man Matt Quinnell has always voted Liberal. This time around he is not so sure.

"It's not right ... I do believe that if you're going to run for a seat you probably should have been living here for a while," he said.

"I've got nothing against Warren Mundine, but with his history and everything I am confused about what he actually stands for.

"I don't know what game it is that they're playing with that, it's quite confusing, but I'll probably go with the Nationals."

That would mean preferences to the Liberals. Mr Quinnell's wife Jody is leaning towards Mr Schultz, who is not preferencing anyone.

"I'm probably a little bit undecided, but Grant would be where I would be veering at this stage," Ms Quinnell said.

Labor's candidate, Ms Phillips, who grew up on a local dairy farm, is the potential beneficiary of the Liberal Party's messy preselection.

She has been Labor's endorsed candidate here since 2015.

"I've been a part of this community all my life," Ms Phillips said.

There is a conspicuous lack of Bill Shorten imagery around her very local campaign.

"I'm out there. People know my name. I've been campaigning for probably about five years now. So that's just the way it is. And it's often the local candidate that my voters relate to," she said.

Is she banking on people voting for her and not necessarily Mr Shorten?

"Well, Fiona Phillips, and Labor's great policies," she said.

Watch Geoff Thompson's story tonight on 7.30.