THE following are candidates for the seat of Hume.
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ANGUS TAYLOR
ANGUS Taylor is the current Federal member for Hume, and is running for re-election.
The Liberal member said the reason he chose to enter politics was because of his upbringing.
"I was brought up in a small business family - a farming family - that believed in public service," he said.
Mr Taylor has been member for Hume since 2013, after working in farming business and management consulting.
He said he believed in the power and importance of small business in the region.
"This government's platform over the last three years, and as we go into the next election, is to support and encourage small business people to invest, to grow and employ people, and encourage young people into jobs and opportunities to get younger people into work," Mr Taylor said.
Mr Taylor said good telecommunications and infrastructure was vital for small business to grow.
"In a few weeks the first of the fibre connections will be switched on in Bundanoon for the NBN," he said.
"The region needs better roads, and we've invested $8 million in Roads to Recovery [funding] into the Wingecarribee Shire.
"We've invested another $6 million in the Moss Vale enterprise corridor."
Mr Taylor said he wanted to see a more "prosperous future" for families in the Southern Highlands through the growth of small business.
"Volunteers are the backbone of the community, and small business is at the heart of the region's economy," he said.
He said he thought it was a "real privilege" to have served the community over the last three years, and hoped he could do so in the future.
AOIFE CHAMPION
AOIFE Champion is the Labor candidate for Hume.
Ms Champion said she came from a strong Labor party family, and said she believed democracy could not thrive unless all voices were "respectfully" heard.
"I represent a young, progressive voice, concerned for the future we leave our children and grandchildren," she said.
"We are on a precarious cusp, teetering between progressing forward, embracing renewable technologies, modern NBN and telecommunications infrastructure, while engendering opportunity in all people to join the ride" she said.
As for the Southern Highlands, Ms Champion encouraged voters to choose her to "see change in the area". "It is evident across the country that marginal seats with swinging voters are paid more attention to. I have a very good working relationship with Stephen Jones, MP of Whitlam, and together we have a vision for the Southern Highlands that can only be delivered by advocates who genuinely care for the betterment of the area."
Her first experience with politics was at the age of 10, when she was involve with student politics.
"I successfully lobbied to have the sports uniform changed to something less revealing for girls," she said.
"At university I was the women's officer on the SRC and the Western Sydney University delegate to the National Union of Students."
Ms Champion has worked as a government litigation lawyer with both the NSW government and the UK government.
MICHAELA SHERWOOD
MICHAELA Sherwood is the Greens candidate for Hume.
The Bundanoon resident said she sought Greens pre-selection for the seat of Hume in this election in order to "continue my - and the Greens' - fight for social justice and equality".
"We cannot allow the vulnerable and disadvantaged to bear the unreasonable burden of unfairly fixing the budget deficit, when others are more able to help."
Ms Sherwood said she also chose to stand for candidature to help increase the visibility of, and stand up for, transgender people.
"Being a transgender woman, I relate to and empathise with all people of diversity who experience prejudice."
Ms Sherwood said she "strongly opposed" the Hume coal mine, and that she had "concerns" with the Coalition and Labor's plans for the NBN rollout in the Southern Highlands.
"Many parts of the Highlands will be serviced by satellite NBN connections, which cost up to three times more than fixed-line and with much lower speeds and data quotas," she said. "The Greens will establish a $150 million start-up fund to get 50 Community Energy powerhouses up and running with up to two years of operational funding."
Ms Sherwood said she would push for a high speed rail service through the Southern Highlands, and said the Greens had a plan to support creative pursuits. "I envisage the Southern Highlands becoming a centre for the development and support of assistive-technologies for the elderly - think Silicon Highlands."
ADRIAN VAN DER BYL
ADRIAN Van Der Byl is the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) candidate for Hume.
Mr Van Der Byl said he chose to join the CDP as it was the "only party" that truly honoured the Federal Constitution, whose pre-amble opens with the words "Humbly relying on the blessings of Almighty God".
Mr Van Der Byl said his "vision" for the Southern Highlands and Hume electorate was the improvement of public transport infrastructure, particularly the establishment of a "very fast rail network" connecting Sydney, Canberra and, ultimately, Melbourne.
"It is a concept that has a long history, but has never yet got off the ground," he said.
Mr Van Der Byl said the CDP was the "only alternative conservative party" to vote for in the Federal Election, and said marriage between a man and a woman was "the basis of society that will prosper any nation".
"The 2016 Federal Election is about restructuring the values that will shape the nature of our nation for years to come.
"It is time to restore this country to the great nation it once was."
TREVOR ANTHONEY
TREVOR Anthoney is the Bullet Train for Australia candidate for Hume.
Mr Anthoney first stood for politics in 2013, and said he chose the Bullet Train for Australia party because the train system provided "a slow, old slug of a ride".
"High speed rail could have you to Sydney, up to Newcastle and back to Sydney quicker than a current train doing the single journey one-way," he said.
"Regional development is the creation of rural economic centres, and this should be the priority of the country as the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane grow nowhere fast."
He said he felt Goulburn would be an "ideal location" to build, maintain and service a fleet of network train sets in Australia.
Mr Anthoney doesn't live in the Southern Highlands, but said his parents lived in Crookwell.
He said he stood as a candidate for Hume because he believed high speed rail would be built on the east coast in the future.
LINDSAY COSGROVE
LINDSAY Cosgrove is the Citizens Electoral Council's (CEC) candidate for Hume.
Mr Cosgrove has spent most of his life as a woolgrower and shearer in the Taralga district.
He has run as a CEC candidate at state and Federal levels.
According to his profile page on the CEC website, Mr Cosgrove "knows only too well how difficult it is to make a living today, with the assault on the rural sector by policies of deregulation, dropping of tariffs and the constant threat of radical environmentalism."
"I had somewhat of a passion for Australian history even before meeting the CEC, but once our paths crossed I've been an ardent advocate for their key platform policy - a national credit bank - ever since," he said.