My name is Katrina Hodgkinson and I am standing for The Nationals for the seat of Gilmore. I am putting myself forward because I want to see this wonderful region thrive and keep up with the modern day standards that should be expected in regional areas.

I want to work to get the roads and infrastructure built, to see health services improve, to have more advanced telecommunications and better employment opportunities.

I want to make sure that our frail and aged are properly looked after and that are young people have plenty to do. I have the necessary experience to deal with the Parliamentary system and I won't be just a "number" for a political party. I have a proven track record of always representing my constituency first, I have even crossed the floor on an issue that was critical to my previous electorate.

I am the Federal Vice President of The Nationals and I have over 20 years' political experience, both as an adviser in the Howard government and also as a Member of Parliament and as a Minister. In life before politics I was a retailer, with wool shops in country NSW.

From 1999 until 2017, I was the Member for Burrinjuck and subsequently the Member for Cootamundra in the NSW Parliament.

During this time I held many shadow ministries and I was Minister for Primary Industries and Small Business, and Assistant Minister for Tourism and Major Events. I understand the cabinet process very well, and I have key contacts in government at the very highest levels.

Click on the name to be taken to the profile. If the name is in black the candidate has not returned the profile.

The best part about living in this area is that we enjoy a beautiful regional lifestyle, within lovely communities, in some of the most scenic country in Australia. I live near Nowra and I have a small farm 45 minutes away.

I have a husband and two children, Georgia who is a student at UOW, and Hamilton who is in Year 9. My husband Jack is part of a very large family of 12, based in the Nowra district.

The beauty of the region draws many tourists to the local area, and quite a number of these come back to live in their retirement, meaning that seniors having access to quality support services is an important issue. Small business and tourism are important jobs drivers for the local area and with a high unemployment rate compared to the rest of NSW the issues of jobs generation so that people can afford the cost of living and raising a family, coupled with ever increasing costs in rent and housing is significant.

As Minister for Primary Industries I was heavily involved with Dairy Connect and dairy issues. During this election campaign I've hosted both the Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and Special Drought Envoy at meetings with local dairy farmers on visits to Kiama, Jerarra, Nowra and Terara.

I have publicly called for a dairy advocate, and I have taken this plan directly to Minister Littleproud. What farmers need is a fair price not a floor price, and to that end Minister Littleproud has negotiated with the supermarkets to eliminate dollar a litre milk.

I have runs on the board when it comes to decentralising jobs. As Minister for Primary Industries, I relocated DPI Fisheries out of Sydney and into Nowra. The Department of local government was similarly moved to Nowra, and there are a number of other government agencies that can easily come out of Sydney and Canberra and into Gilmore.

In relation to your question about immigrants, of course immigrants can and do relocate into regional centres when the jobs, infrastructure and services exist to enable them to live happily within that local community.

Road safety in the local area is paramount and I lobbied the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Commonwealth Minister for Roads, into providing $500 million in this year's budget for the Princes Highway.

This is the largest expenditure that the Commonwealth has provided for this road. I continue to push the case for much more Commonwealth funding to be directed at the Princes Highway, in the same way that both the New England highway and the Pacific Highway were significantly funded by the Commonwealth in partnership with the NSW government.

A fly over for the Jervis Bay turn off is required, however there is a real need for both the full duplication of the road and also for continuous telecommunication reception for the length of the highway.

The speed of the road building however will depend on the ability of RMS. It is important that any construction is done properly and safely, rather than being rushed and unsafe.

There have been far too many fatalities and injuries on the Princes Highway, and more rest areas, overtaking opportunities, and road straightening will help in the short-term, however I will continue to push for the full duplication of this road.

In relation to power supply, I believe that we need to have affordable baseload power. The cost of living is ever increasing and I often meet families and individuals who are really challenged with the budget bottom line.

Mortgages, rates, electricity prices, phone bills, supermarket shopping, extras for school children, all add up and a lot of people are finding this very challenging part of their lives.

Snowy 2.0, practically on our doorstep, is a most exciting renewable energy project in the area of hydroelectricity.

I fully support this project and other appropriately sited renewable energy projects that don't come at the expense of busy, hard-working and budget conscious families and individuals who require affordable power as part of their everyday lives, and it should not interfere with local employment opportunities. The Coalition's climate action solutions policy is available online.

Click on the name to be taken to the profile. If the name is in black the candidate has not returned the profile.