Ms Smith told The Courier she chose to instead spend the day with the local community.

"I wasn't interested," she said

"I would much rather miss a political event.

"I prefer to sit under a gum tree and talk with members of the community, that's just the person I am."

Ms Smith said she spent the morning at the Haddon & District Lions Club market where she handed out pamphlets and participated in an auction before heading to Sovereign Hill for lunch with the Nationals' deputy leader Peter Walsh and Sovereign Hill CEO Jeremy Johnson to discuss tourism in Ballarat.

She said it wasn't the first time she had missed an event to instead spend time with members of the community.

At the recent opening of CFA stations at Mt Helen and Ballarat, Ms Smith said she sat out the front of the station talking to firefighters who protested on the day.

"You will never see me walk past people, particularly those in the emergency services, I'll stop and listen," she said.

"I do my campaigning differently."

Ms Smith declined to tell The Courier whether she was invited to the announcement or not.