FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop will be parachuted into the Victorian election campaign on Friday with Liberal strategists describing Tony Abbott as “box office poison’’.

Furious over the decision to hike petrol prices during the election campaign, Victorian Liberals are already blaming the Prime Minister’s poor popularity as a factor dragging down the Coalition.

But the rising star of the Abbott Government, deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop, has been plucked out as the most palatable federal choice to campaign in the dying days of the state election.

Ms Bishop, who is travelling back to Australia from New York where she has spent the week at the United Nations has confirmed the trip.

“I am looking to rejoining the campaign, after several previous visits in support of the Victorian government,’’ she said.

MORE: LIBERAL SACKED OVER PORN STAR INVITATION

“Premier Napthine is an honourable person who will work tirelessly for the people of Victoria, should his government be re-elected this weekend.”

But her visit is another sign that the Victorian Liberals are keen to keep the Prime Minister as far away from Melbourne as possible.

“He’s box office poison,’’ a Liberal campaign strategist said. “It’s not the sole reason we’re in trouble of course, but Tony Abbott and the Abbott Government is a piece of the pie.

“The higher education reforms are just killing us.

“The $100,000 degree thing has just stuck. It’s common knowledge that after the federal budget a lot of the state candidates were told in May to get out of field. They were told to stop campaigning. It was counter-productive. They stopped door-knocking.’’

Mr Abbott has visited Victoria just three times during the campaign.

Last week he travelled to Melbourne to attend a dinner for visiting Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi, but he did not campaign.

Mr Abbott also appeared at a closed event on November 8 for the media to announce a $250 million upgrade of the Tullamarine Freeway.

Previously, he announced a joint police taskforce into Industrial Criminality and Corruption on October 31.

During the event, there was an awkward hug between Mr Abbott and Mr Napthine that prompted one of the Victorian Premier’s staffers to say, “Oh

s---’’, in front of reporters, a moment that was recorded on a journalist’s tape recorder.

Asked about the pair’s relationship, Mr Napthine said at the press conference that he had a “positive relationship”, before the Prime Minister put his arms around him and squeezed him in a hug.

samantha.maiden@news.com.au

Twitter: @samanthamaiden