While Nick Xenophon's new party is expected to do well in his home state of South Australia, the party is also attempting to put pressure on some safe Coalition seats outside the state.

Key points: Calare considered a National safe seat

Calare considered a National safe seat NXT running candidates in seven lower house seats outside South Australia

NXT running candidates in seven lower house seats outside South Australia Labor says main issues are health education and jobs

Labor says main issues are health education and jobs Sydney-siders moving to area could give Greens a boost

The Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) is running candidates in seven Lower House seats outside of his home state, including the Coalition-held electorates of Calare in New South Wales and Groom in Queensland.

Rod Bloomfield, the NXT candidate in Calare, said he had approached the election as a "quasi independent".

"Certainly our direction and our philosophy comes from Nick Xenophon head office and Nick himself, but for us, our focus has to be our local electorates," Mr Bloomfield said.

Mr Bloomfield, a broadcaster, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Peter Andren, the popular local television presenter who commanded significant support as Calare's Independent MP 20 years ago.

"The message that I'm getting from a lot of people is that they're interested in an alternative, they like the fact that I'm a local, that I understand them," Bloomfield said.

Mr Bloomfield is expected to pick up the 5 per cent of voters who supported the Palmer United Party in Calare in 2013, but beyond that no one is really sure.

Calare considered safe Nationals territory

With its mix of regional cities, mining and farmland, Calare is traditionally safe Nationals territory, but candidate Andrew Gee said he would not be complacent as he attempts to move from State to Federal Parliament.

"One of the messages that I've picked up from our electorates over the last four or five years is that if voters think that their MP is not representing them, then they will change," Mr Gee said.

"It means that voters are not as rusted on anymore."

While the services and tourism economy has grown in the New South Wales central west region, manufacturing has seen some job losses.

Unlike some in the Coalition, Mr Gee said he does see a role for government intervention as part of a national manufacturing strategy.

"Let's target what we're good at, food processing has to be one of them, and let's target our policies and importantly our taxation regime accordingly," he said.

"I'm talking about depreciation rates, I'm also talking about things like zonal taxation here, which is something that I think we should be looking at to encourage people to move to regional Australia.

"So I'm talking about differential income tax rates, differential company tax rates, and at a state level differential payroll tax rates."

Sydney residents seeking lifestyle change could boost Greens

Jess Jennings, the Labor candidate for Calare, said he was also campaigning on employment as well as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and Labor's national themes.

"The main issues are health, education and jobs, without any doubt," he said.

"I'd like to see Labor's primary vote go up, and I'd like to see our two-party preferred position improve markedly, it would be great if we could make it a marginal seat.

"It's currently about a 15 per cent margin, if we could get that down to 5 per cent it would then become a target seat, and the people of Calare would no longer be taken for granted as is increasingly the case by the National party."

The increase in residents seeking a lifestyle change from Sydney also has the Greens candidate Delanie Sky confident of boosting her party's share of the vote.

"Their issues that they bring to the area are different to what the Nationals have been just hanging on to for so long, it's time to start talking about the other people in our electorate," Ms Sky said.

Council amalgamation 'issue for the federal poll'

But Mr Gee is expected to be successful for the Nationals, even with some local anger over the State Government's plan to force council amalgamations.

Five local governments in the area have taken legal action against the move.

Dr Jennings said it was a legitimate issue for the federal poll.

"Barnaby Joyce made it a federal issue when he used his Deputy Prime Minister influence to get his councils out of the forced amalgamation process," Dr Jennings said.

"There's been so many anomalies and essentially stuff ups with the process."

Some campaigners are urging voters to put the Nationals last to register their anger, but Mr Gee said he was confident the local community knew he was on their side.

"Yes, it may be a factor in some parts of the electorate, [but] I can go to sleep at night knowing that I've done absolutely everything I can to fight for my local communities," Mr Gee said.