While he is undoubtedly the star candidate in Saturday's New England by-election, Barnaby Joyce has been keeping a much lower profile in recent weeks.
He has reined in media appearances as he battles to win back the seat after being struck out by the High Court last month for being a dual New Zealand citizen.
"I said right at the start that you can't take anything for granted," Mr Joyce told SBS News.
"That's why I'm going town to town and speaking with people, giving them the opportunity to ask the questions they have."
The former deputy prime minister said the overwhelming feeling from voters in the electorate was they want to move on.
"The feedback I'm getting as I travel around the electorate is that people just want us to get on with the job of governing," he said.
The dual citizenship saga's highest-profile casualty is up against 16 other candidates.
The polls suggest he should get over the line comfortably but his campaign has not been without its hiccups.
Last week, he missed a candidate forum in the electorate and instead attended a dinner in Canberra where he accepted, but later declined, a $40,000 award from mining magnate Gina Rinehart.
Police are also investigating a death threat earlier this month after a bullet was sent to his office.
Early in the campaign, former Independent MP Tony Windsor announced he would not contest this by-election leaving long-time local Rob Taber as Mr Joyce's main competition.
The independent has lived in the area his entire life and has contested at the last two federal elections.
"It feels really good. I feel as though I'm doing better than expected. It feels strong," Mr Taber told SBS News.
He believes that while Mr Joyce started off strong, the mood in the electorate has shifted with increasing frustration among voters about being forced back to the polls.
"It started with everybody feeling sorry for Barnaby Joyce but they've woken up," he said.
"I think people are prepared to make a change."
In Mr Joyce's absence, federal tensions have boiled over between the Liberal party and its junior coalition partner with the Prime Minister caving in to demands for a Royal Commission into the banks.
Malcolm Turnbull reminded his colleagues earlier this week about the impact of internal divisions at such a crucial time.
"Australians do not expect politicians to be talking about each other in this type of area, they expect them to be focussed on the big issues," he told reporters in Gosford on Wednesday.
If Barnaby Joyce wins the poll on Saturday he will return to his former roles of deputy prime minister and minister for agriculture and water resources.
Fellow Nationals MP Andrew Broad told SBS News it would be good to have Mr Joyce back.
"BBB - bring back Barnaby. Is the National Party bigger than Barnaby Joyce? Yes. But do we want him back? Absolutely," he said.
The Turnbull government is also sweating on the result of another by-election this month in the Sydney seat of Bennelong.
Tennis champion John Alexander who had to resign from parliament after being caught up in the dual citizenship saga will go up against former New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally on December 16.
