$2.7m upgrade for Hunter Regional Livestock Exchange if govt wins

Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce made the commitment as his campaign - dubbed the wombat trail - travelled through the Hunter.

The proposed upgrade would expand the holding yards and feeding areas, make it easier to load and unload cattle, provide new carparks, increase water storage capabilities, and improve gates and flooring.

Mr Joyce said cattle saleyards were vital pieces of infrastructure to support Australia's thriving beef industry.

"The Hunter is an important area for beef production and investing in the infrastructure we need to maximise efficiencies will put more food on the table for Australians as well as bringing in export dollars," Mr Joyce said.

"The beef industry is very important to supporting employment in the Hunter and this funding will enable the Hunter saleyards to operate at a higher capacity to support the agriculture industry and create jobs in the region."

Nationals candidate for Hunter James Thomson said the saleyards were incredibly important to the local area.

"This is all about strengthening agriculture in the Hunter, supporting local jobs and businesses and backing the families who work hard to feed our nation," Mr Thomson said.

"Our beef is exported all around the world and we want to see more steaks on the dinner table coming from the Hunter."

The Hunter - despite being Labor heartland for the last century - is one of the electorates the Nationals believe can be swung and the party has been campaigning hard in the region, with multiple visits from Mr Joyce.

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The Nationals first identified Hunter as a potential target after the 2019 election, when outcoming Labor Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon's vote dropped nearly 10 per cent. It also saw the largest One Nation vote in the country, with candidate Stuart Bonds pulling in almost 22 per cent of the primary.

After preferences, the Nationals reaped 47 per cent of the vote, just behind Labor's 53pc, pushing the seat into marginal territory.

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Much of the swing against Labor was put down to its confusing policy on energy and coal, which changed depending on which electorate the party was speaking from.

There was also a perception Mr Fitzgibbon was spending too much time playing politics in Canberra rather than advocating for local issues.

Mr Fitzgibbon spent much of the past three years trying to rectify both concerns. He has been a loud and proud advocate of coal and often clashed with fellow Labor MPs over climate policy, which led to him quitting the shadow cabinet and dropping his ag portfolio to sit on the back bench.

Labor has also found a strong candidate in five-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Dan Repacholi.

A fitter and turner by trade, Mr Repacholi has previously worked as a coal miner and currently works in a coal-adjacent industry.

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