Upper Hunter Shire councillor Lee Watts will make her second run for State parliament, this time as the candidate for Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party.
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At the last state election in 2015 Ms Watts ran as independent against the Nationals Michael Johnsen (who went on to win the seat) and Labor’s Martin Rush – an identical contest will now take place for the upcoming 2019 election. Ms Watts replaces the former Shooters Fishers and Farmers candidate John Preston who withdrew his candidacy last month due to family circumstances
Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party MLC Robert Brown said with Ms Watts track record on Upper Hunter Shire Council, she would be a strong voice that the electorate deserves.
Ms Watts launched her campaign by putting both major parties on notice for ignoring the needs of the Hunter region.
“The Nationals have failed the Upper Hunter,” Ms Watts said.
“They’ve failed to fix our roads, they failed to fight for drought relief funding, and they’ve failed to stand up to the city Liberals.
“People out here keep telling me that they’re tired of voting for people who can’t or won’t deliver for the region.
“Despite having the natural resources and power stations that fuel the rest of New South Wales we have several bypasses that have been ignored for decades, and more money is being spent on building Sydney stadiums than helping our struggling farmers.”
Ms Watts said that as a representative of the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party she could make a difference for the region.
“Unlike Labor or the Nationals, the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party can use the balance of power to deliver for our region no matter who is in Government.
“Having a National Party representative in a Liberal Party Government hasn’t worked for us.
“With a massive budget surplus and over $4 billion unspent for the Snowy Hydro Scheme sell-off, there’s no reason why so many local projects and services remain underfunded.”
