Overcrowded housing, poor school attendance, rife unemployment and health conditions akin to those in the third world are commonplace in the Northern Territory's West Daly, which is statistically the second most disadvantaged region in Australia.

Key points: The mayor of West Daly Regional Council has urged the nation's leaders to remember his troubled region in the lead-up to the 2019 election

The mayor of West Daly Regional Council has urged the nation's leaders to remember his troubled region in the lead-up to the 2019 election Mayor John Wilson pointed to the promised upgrade of a pool in Palmerston to highlight the urgent needs for his area

Mayor John Wilson pointed to the promised upgrade of a pool in Palmerston to highlight the urgent needs for his area West Daly is the second most disadvantaged region in the nation, after Cherbourg in Queensland

Considering this ranking, the West Daly Regional Council's mayor said he "watched with interest" during the whirlwind visits of both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten last week, who were in the region to kick off the 2019 federal election campaign and promise a cash windfall of about $220 million for Kakadu National Park.

While in the NT, Mr Shorten also managed to offer up $5 million to upgrade a pool in the city of Palmerston, which already had a new waterpark built down the road in 2012.

West Daly mayor John Wilson said his region, down dirt roads more than 300 kilometres west of Darwin, was left "out of sight, out of mind" during the recent political drop-ins.

"We welcome future discussions and hopefully we'll see some commitments, such as those we are seeing elsewhere," Mr Wilson said.

"Don't get us wrong, our region greatly appreciates current financial assistance from governments, but in light of Closing the Gap outcomes for Aboriginal people, and recent funding commitments elsewhere, we do ask, don't forget the most disadvantaged."

Indigenous dancers in the West Daly Aboriginal community of Peppimenarti. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

Pool upgrade fails to make splash

Mr Wilson had a crack at Mr Shorten's pork barrelling in Palmerston, and said the West Daly could desperately use some pool upgrades as well.

"If they're fair dinkum, I'm ready to have a chat with them," he told the ABC.

"Down here we're trying to do the same sort of project — we don't want our kids going swimming in the [crocodile-filled] river."

The region hit their unenviable ranking in the 2016 Census of Population and Housing.

The inland Queensland community of Cherbourg hit the highest place on the list, with the NT area of Belyuen grabbing third.

On the other side of the fence, the nation's three most advantaged regions were in the leafy Sydney areas of Ku-ring-gai, Mosman and Woollahra.