Rob Oakeshott could be on the verge of a dramatic return to Parliament.

Coalition strategists appear to have hit the panic button in the NSW seat of Cowper, mobilising Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in an attempt to protect former National Party minister Luke Hartsuyker against the late challenge by the independent.

In an unusual move for a Prime Minister in the last week of an election campaign, Mr Turnbull cold-called a small ABC radio station on Tuesday morning to go into bat for Mr Hartsuyker who is in danger of losing his seat despite a handsome 13 per cent margin to the Nationals in that seat.