Ms Gillard will launch a western Sydney mini-campaign, first revealed in the Australian Financial Review, next Sunday night targeting seats such as Fowler, Parramatta, Lindsay, Greenway, Banks and the Liberal-held Macarthur.

This follows a series of poor poll results for the government, including the latest Newspoll on Tuesday, which puts the Coalition in a clear-election winning position, with a two-party-preferred result of 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

Labor frontbencher Simon Crean has once again had blunt words to say about the latest opinion polls, telling reporters that Labor cannot win on their current primary vote.

"You can't win with a 31 per cent primary vote," he said on Tuesday, before adding: "But that's not where we expect to be in September."

While Labor is usually reserved when commenting on polls, Mr Crean conceded that if Labor did not focus on issues like the economy, it would "continue to go round in circles".

Last week, the Fairfax/Nielsen poll put the Opposition in front, 54 per cent to 46 per cent. At the time Mr Crean said the poll results were a "wake-up call".

Both polls have Opposition Leader Tony Abbott ahead of Ms Gillard as preferred prime minister.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said on Tuesday that Labor would be getting around "very busily" in the coming months before the election, promoting its efforts on job security.

"We've just got a fight on our hands, we know that very clearly," he said.

Ms Gillard's western focus also follows internal Labor polling that suggest the government is in particular trouble in must-win western Sydney seats.

Labor holds 10 seats in western Sydney on a margin of less than 10 per cent. These include those of ministers Tony Burke, David Bradbury and Chris Bowen.

The corruption inquiry into former state Labor ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald has not helped Labor's brand in NSW.

We asked the PM to visit

Labor MP Michelle Rowland, who holds the western Sydney seat of Greenway, Labor's most marginal in NSW, said Ms Gillard's campaign was great news.

''It's actually something that I and a number of my colleagues out my way have wanted to happen for a while,'' she told Fairfax Media on Tuesday.

''This is where I live, it's where I'm raising my family, I'm not only the local member but this is my community.''

Ms Rowland said that ''too often'' governments made policies without seeing people on the ground.

She aslo criticised the Coalition for viewing western Sydney as a ''homogeneous concept''.

''[It] is is viewed as a prize by Tony Abbott and the Liberals,'' she said. ''They only discover us at election time. It's another notch on his belt. It's got nothing to do with improving people's lives.''

Ms Rowland was unfazed by the latest poll results, which would put her seat in serious trouble, saying she would keep working to communicate with the electorate.

''[Greenway has] been marginal since the election day last year,'' she said. ''There's no point looking at the polls going, 'oh this is really bad, why bother'.

''Well, the reason is you have to bother, because this is our home.''

An 'essential' step

NSW Labor senator Doug Cameron also backed Ms Gillard's mini-campaign, calling it ''absolutely essential''.

''I think the people in Western Sydney are inundated with nonsense from the radio stations – the Alan Jones type approach, and to get that message out there, which is about real politics, which is about the policy that we want to take to the next election,'' he told Fairfax Media.

''I'm not going to gild the lily, we're in a bit of trouble in Western Sydney. But we've just got to cut through the nonsense that is being perpetuated by the Coalition on a range of our policy issues.''

And Trade Minister Craig Emerson said on Tuesday that western Sydney had other ''specific problems'', telling ABC Radio that residents were exasperated with long commute times.

Dr Emerson said that Labor was working on creating jobs in the area so people did not have to travel.

The Prime Minister's mini-campaign, which will kick off with a speech at the University of Western Sydney, is set to include a cabinet meeting, social media, events with ethnic communities, a focus on higher education and jobs.

The Trade Minister dismissed the suggestion that the Prime Minister's western Sydney focus was about saving Labor seats.

''I think any prime minister and any leader of the opposition will go to particular parts of Australia at particular points in time,'' Dr Emerson said, noting that Ms Gillard was travelling to Queensland this week before her western Sydney trip.

''It's never been the case that prime ministers or opposition leaders camp themselves in Canberra and don't get around to talk to people.''

Dr Emerson said that Ms Gillard met people to get their feedback and develop policies.

Mini-campaign 'won't work'

But Labor power broker Graham Richardson said western Sydney was a ''disaster'' and Ms Gillard's campaign would not save Labor. ''Five days in Rooty Hill will not be enough, let me assure you,'' Mr Richardson told Sky News on Tuesday.

Mr Richardson said that the Prime Minister's visit may not even boost Labor's electoral chances.

''In fact, it may well do the opposite.''

Senior Coalition frontbencher George Brandis also suggested on Tuesday that Ms Gillard's mini-campaign would not help Labor.

''I hope she campaigns in a lot more marginal seats, because she happens to be the most unpopular politician in Australia,'' Senator Brandis told Sky News.

In January, Mr Abbott began his own mini-campaign with a rally in western Sydney.

His campaign was interrupted, however, when Ms Gillard announced the election date of September 14.

Speaking in Rockhampton, Mr Abbott said he thought it was "good that the Prime Minister has noticed western Sydney".

''But what western Sydney wants is not a visit," Mr Abbott said. "Western Sydney wants a plan.''

The Coalition's plan for western Sydney, Mr Abbott said, included abolishing the carbon tax, stopping the boats – ''that'll help reduce the pressure on western Sydney'' – and building Sydney's WestConnex motorway.

Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce told Fairfax Radio that Ms Gillard should focus on the budget in Canberra.

''I would prefer that she comes down to Canberra, where her actual job is, sits in her office and says 'how are we going to work out this budget?' '' Senator Joyce said on Tuesday.

''Leave Rooty Hill's RSL to the people who want to put 20 bucks through the pokies. She doesn't have to be there.''

with Jonathan Swan

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