Mr Howard spoke to the Port News on Thursday in support of Mr Hartsuyker’s re-election bid in light of former Lyne MP Rob Oakeshott’s challenge.

That followed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s radio interview on Tuesday with ABC Mid North Coast and a visit from Premier Mike Baird on Thursday.

Mr Howard said at any election, you did not take anything for granted.

“I think at this time in Australia’s economic history, particularly, we do need to have a clear majority government,” he said.

Mr Howard said he thought, naturally, that majority should be the Coalition and he did not think there was any mind in Australia to go back to the Labor Party.

He said there was some uncertainty around the world which had been illustrated by the British decision to leave the European Union.

Mr Howard said we needed in charge at a time like that people who understood business and the economy and he thought the Coalition fit that bill more than Labor.

“Your area has had a history in the past of independents,” Mr Howard said.

He said neither Lyne MP David Gillespie nor Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker took the election for granted.

He described Mr Hartsuyker’s re-election chances as very good.

“They ought to be beyond argument,” he said. “I think he is a very conscientious and sincere person.”

Mr Howard worked in parliament with Mr Hartsuyker for six years.

“I found him the sort of person like a dog with a bone when he wanted something for his area,” he said.

“That was one of the things that always impressed me about him.”

Port Macquarie forms part of the Cowper electorate after an electoral boundary redistribution.

 Wauchope and the Camden Haven remain in Lyne.

Mr Howard said whenever there was a significant redistribution, that could make an impact.

He said the fact that an area had been added to Mr Hartsuyker’s electorate meant the Cowper MP had to double down on his hard work and not take anything for granted.

“I believe he will be re-elected,” Mr Howard said. “He deserves to be re-elected, because he is a conscientious hard worker.

“I would ask people in the electorate who are still undecided to keep in mind the thing Australia needs most of all is a stable majority government.”

Mr Howard said we could not afford to go back to the instability of a Labor/Greens/independent Insults or results, says alliance.

THE majority of the community can see through the desperate attempts of a political party which has been taking the area for granted for a long time, independent candidate Rob Oakeshott says.

Political heavyweights have entered the debate in Cowper and there has been a flow of negative election material targeting Mr Oakeshott.

“We are all witnessing a panic attack by the National Party that is seeing insults like I have never seen before and it really does push the voter to make a very simple choice on Saturday,” he said.

Mr Oakeshott said voters could back results or back insults.

“Having lived through several of these before, my skin is thickened,” he said.

“It doesn’t disrupt my focus like it might have before.”

Mr Oakeshott said he offered an alternative and worked hard on results.

Those results included funding to bring forward Pacific Highway works between Port Macquarie and Kempsey and $190 million for Port Macquarie and Kempsey hospitals.

He was pivotal in the establishment of Charles Sturt University Port Macquarie Campus and the Shared Health Research and Education Campus.

Mr Oakeshott said in terms of the 2016 campaign, they had done the best they could with what they had.

“I think people can, on reflection, see why certain decisions were made about timing of announcements and choices around where and when to spend money,” he said.

Mr Oakeshott announced his candidacy on the day of the ballot draw.

He said there was the before and after contrast which was the story of political competition for the whole community to see.

Mr Oakeshott said if people voted for The Nationals, nothing changed.

“If you don’t make change at the ballot box, nothing will change as far as opportunities being missed for growing the community and better representation within parliament,” he said.