Bowral High School alumni and Liberal MP Jai Rowell is the incumbent in the race for the seat of Wollondilly, the boundaries of which have been redrawn to include a large chunk of the Southern Highlands.

Mr Rowell has several big-ticket items leading into the election, however, his main promise is an upgrade of Bowral Hospital.

“The staff at the hospital are fantastic, but we celebrated 125 years of Bowral Hospital last year and it looks it,” Mr Rowell said.

“It’s not necessarily fit for purpose with some of the new equipment and while the staff do an amazing job the hospital needs an upgrade so it can continue to deliver modern health care.”

The seat of Wollondilly covers about 3500 hectares and while Mr Rowell said a large chunk of that was made up of forests, there was also a large road network.

Upgrading state roads has been a large priority during his first term in government along with working with councils to get low interest rate loans to improve local roads. 

“I want to work with councils to see what we can do to fix the roads,” he said.

“Another focus area is bridges and the Willow Vale bridge is in poor condition.

“It’s currently undergoing maintenance, but in the upcoming financial year it will be upgraded.”

Mr Rowell also highlighted the Range Road railway bridge in Mittagong, which has long caused concern for local residents.

Other issues Mr Rowell plans to tackle include funding for local schools, sporting ground upgrades and finding a good balance between supplying resources and protecting the community and the environment.

“My job is to cut through all the finger pointing and get the job done,” he said. 

“Whatever the issue is, my job is to listen to the community and I’m happy to take the fight to wherever I think it’s needed.

“I have two sons who are 12 and five years old and I wouldn’t want them to get to my age and say ‘dad sold me out’. It keeps me honest.”