Mr Fitzsimon launched his campaign in south Orange on Sunday, with federal opposition health spokesman Stephen Jones in attendance.

With the Victorian seat of Shepparton won by an independent after 47 years as a Nationals-held seat, Mr Jones said federal and state issues could not be separated.

“We don’t think it will stop at the border,” he said.

“We have seen safe Nationals seats fall because their incumbents have taken the seat for granted.” 

He also said regional areas generally had lower rates of high school retention, higher rates of financial stress and avoiding seeking healthcare. 

“National MPs talk about having dirt under their fingernails, but in Parliament, they vote like a Liberal,” he said.

“People in regional Australia are saying, ‘are we getting real value through our local member’?”

Mr Fitzsimon said he would campaign for an inland freight hub in Parkes to transfer goods between road and rail because it would have flow-on benefits for Orange.

“It creates a new industry and that’s got a multiplier effect,” he said.

“In a regional area every job we create creates another 2.6 full-time equivalents.” 

He also said a jobs commissioner needed to be appointed with particular focus on regional areas.

With Premier Mike Baird not ruling out a future sale of Essential Energy, Mr Fitzsimon said it would go eventually and there was a risk regional areas would not see any of the proceeds spent in their electorates.

“By the time they spend it all in Sydney, we’ll be lucky to get a toilet block in Parkes or Orange,” he said. 

With Nationals incumbent Andrew Gee beating mayor John Davis 72 per cent to 28 per cent in 2011, Mr Fitzsimon did not nominate a target for 2015.

“Like any race, we’re in it to win it, but we’ll see the result on March 28,” he said.

danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au