Former NSW premier turned Labor senator Kristina Keneally has one message for the people of Macquarie - your vote matters.
Senator Keneally arrived in the electorate on Wednesday, April 17 in the big red Bill Shorten election bus to talk to Heath and Hayley Iori, owners of Ultra Tune Windsor, about Labor's Your Car, Your Choice policy.
Speaking later to the Gazette, Senator Keneally said the seat - currently held by Labor's Susan Templeman with a 2.2 per cent margin - was never one the party took for granted.
"This is a seat that throughout its history has been represented by both sides of politics and never a seat that Labor takes for granted," she said. "That's why we've endorsed Susan Templeman, supported her at the past few elections and were so delighted when she took on the role of Member for Macquarie ... she has in the Parliament been a vocal and effective advocate for her community.
"A lot of people look at politics and elections and they think what does it really matter because at the end of the day no matter what happens you get a politician who gets elected.
"But I would say to people while I understand that cynicism, I would say to the people of Macquarie your vote matters.
"The Liberals have cut $14 billion from public schools, they've cut $715 million from public hospitals. They have cut penalty rates, they have made it more difficult for apprentices to find work. They have presided over an economy where everything is going up except people's wages and we know now that their ... flimsy projected [budget] surplus is predicated on a $1.6 billion under-spend in the NDIS.
"So I say to people in Macquarie if you want your schools properly funded, if you want your hospitals properly funded, if you want the NDIS to provide the services to people with a disability that deserve and need them, if you want universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds, you need to vote Labor."
Both Senator Keneally and Ms Templemen said the Your Car, Your Choice policy would help locals save money when it came to looking after their vehicles.
The policy would require car manufacturers to make technical information about their vehicles available to independent mechanics.
"It will give [motorists] choice, it will allow them to go to someone they trust and it will allow them to have more competitive prices," Senator Keneally said.
"If you're forced to go to the dealer, you're forced to pay the price the dealer charges. You cannot shop around and get a better deal and you can't go to someone you know and trust for many years of that's what you want to do."
Ms Templeman said she appreciated the support of colleagues such as Senator Keneally.
"It's always fantastic to have the shadow ministry come out, there's been about 15 different visits from different shadow ministers in the last couple of years because I've made sure that the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains are on people's radar," she said.
"It's fantastic to see Bill's face [on the bus] but we've had Bill here in person already several times, and I have a real confidence that for the first time probably in decades that the issues of the Hawkesbury are actually acknowledged and understood, embraced and addressed by our shadow ministry."
