Incumbent Cathy McGowan is refusing to declare her intentions about standing for a third time even though her main rivals, the Liberals and Nationals, remain convinced she will step down.

But the Coalition parties haven’t started a preselection process for the next election which could lead to Ms McGowan deciding to seek another term.

The Border Mail asked Ms McGowan’s office on Wednesday morning if she would stand if an early election was called and whether a change of Liberal leader from Malcolm Turnbull to Peter Dutton would have any influence over her decision.

Her office was also asked if Ms McGowan’s guarantee of confidence and supply to the Turnbull-led government would remain if there was a change of leader.

No comment has been forthcoming to date.

Ms McGowan and Mr Dutton have well-documented opposing views on border protection.

The Liberals and Nationals contested Indi at the most recent federal election in 2016 as a result of Ms McGowan’s victory over Liberal Sophie Mirabella three years earlier.

Indi Liberal federal electorate chairman Tony Schneider said he hoped his party’s preselection could open shortly rather than the party’s administrative committee select a candidate.

This month the administrative committee endorsed all Victorian federal MPs and remaining spots on the Liberal Upper House ticket for the state election.

“We are ready to start the process,” Mr Schneider said.

“We would like to get on with it and as soon as possible have someone out there.

“We don’t know when the election is going to be, but we think there is a bit of urgency to get it going.

“We wouldn’t like to be caught in the situation where an election was called and we still hadn’t identified our preferred candidate.”

A traditional member-vote preselection generally takes five weeks to conduct and the successful candidate given at least 10 months lead-in to an election.

Indi Nationals president Simon Williamson referred all comment on preselection to head office, but confirmed no date had been set.

​Meanwhile, the NSW Nationals have confirmed preselection has opened in Farrer where Liberal Sussan Ley is the sitting member.

The Nationals last contested Farrer in 2001 when former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer retired.

Ms Ley beat Nationals candidate Bill Bott.

The Nationals recently elected not to contest the NSW state seat of Albury following the retirement of Liberal Greg Aplin.