Abbott has fans on Gillard's home ground The scene looked almost presidential as Tony Abbott took to the stage amid banners in Adelaide. THE giant Liberal Party banners dominated the Adelaide street corner, the words "Hope, Reward and Opportunity" beaming out across the traffic. A large gathering of the party faithful, draped in matching blue t-shirts, waited eagerly for their leader to arrive. The scene looked almost presidential as Tony Abbott took to the stage amid a sea of banners to promise his troops a vision for the future. "That bright future starts on the seventh of September!" he said, before jumping offstage to mingle with fans. It's hard to believe this used to be Julia Gillard's turf. She was the home favourite in South Australia, credited with delivering Labor historic swings in the state in the 2010 election. But the "Julia Gillard effect" won't play a part in the upcoming election. The Liberals are hoping her ousting as Labor prime minister by Kevin Rudd will in fact play into their hands in SA and help them win or secure a number of key seats. Abbott popped by three of these seats on Saturday - Boothby, Sturt and Hindmarsh. The coalition holds Boothby by a razor-thin 0.6 per cent margin. Local member Andrew Southcott is promising $500 million to upgrade a major local road if elected. Gillard, who went to school not far from where he was standing, used to have strong local credentials here. But Southcott's not worried he'll lose the seat he's held since 1996, he said. "Unfortunately for them, Kevin Rudd is the guy who came along and knifed the hometown girl," he told AAP. Fellow SA MP Christopher Pyne got a boost from Abbott as well, with the opposition leader promising $17.5 million to upgrade a leisure centre in his electorate. Mary Crouch, a member of the local Norwood Flames basketball club since 1971, said this pledge was a sure-fire vote winner. "We just need the coalition to win, fingers crossed!" she told AAP as Pyne and Abbott tossed basketballs with children. The opposition leader had to wear a number of hats on Saturday, switching from local hero to aspiring prime minister as he dealt with questions on Syria's worsening civil war. Reports that the Syrian regime had employed chemical weapons against their people saw Rudd return to Canberra and suspend his campaign temporarily. Abbott initially said he'd get his briefing from his deputy Julie Bishop but later his office confirmed he'd be attending the official meeting as well. He may look like a leader in waiting but Abbott marked the two-week point to the election by warning his supporters to be anything but complacent. "My friends, there is still much to be done," he said in Hindmarsh, a seat they hope to win from Labor's Steve Georganas. The stump speech to about 100 people was just a warm up, as Abbott prepares to officially launch the coalition's election campaign in Brisbane on Sunday.