Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton appears set to join NSW Liberals on the hustings after a leading moderate said he'd welcome the help.
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While Mr Dutton was a conspicuous absence from the Victorian Liberals' election campaign in November, NSW Treasurer Matt Kean on Friday said he'd welcome the "outstanding leader" ahead of the March election.
"He's going to do a good job leading the federal coalition and I'd certainly welcome him on the campaign trail in NSW," Mr Kean told ABC on Friday.
Mr Kean said history was against the NSW coalition, having never won four consecutive terms in its history.
The Liberals and Nationals have also shed a total of 13 MPs, leaving new candidates to hold several seats including Parramatta.
With rising living costs a key issue, Mr Kean called on the federal Albanese government to immediately match a state package pushing power bills down by $250 each.
The federal government had agreed to match the one-off energy relief in return for NSW enforcing a coal price cap to ease power prices nationally.
"We forgoed our coal royalties in this state," he said.
"We've put our money on the table. It's now time for the Albanese government to deliver ... that relief now.
"They didn't say just wait for the May budget."
But the federal treasurer, who is meeting with his state and territory counterparts online on Friday, told AAP it was "a bit unusual" for Mr Kean to demand something from the commonwealth that even he admitted he could not deliver.
"I think people will see through his confected outrage, especially when his own scheme doesn't start until July," Jim Chalmers said.
"I'm not looking for a war of words. I'm looking to work respectfully and productively with the states and territories - Labor and Liberal - to deliver some relief from high energy bills and that's my focus."
Australian Associated Press
