Liberals candidates Brooke Vitnell and Nell McGill vie for Paterson and Shortland seats

Climate change talk is at the forefront of a long election campaign for two Liberal candidates vying for the key Federal Hunter seats of Paterson and Shortland.

There’s no date as yet for the Federal election, but candidates are starting to come out of the woodwork across the Hunter region as they prepare for what could be a long campaign battle.

The Liberal party has got in early, with the announcement of two candidates for the seats of Shortland and Paterson, both currently held by Labor.

They could be campaigning right up until the end of May, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison dillydallying on calling the next election.

Whitebridge mother-of-three Nell McGill has put her hand up again for the Shortland seat which has been held by Labor since 1972, and is currently in the hands of incumbent member Pat Conroy who was elected in 2016.

Liberal candidate for Shortland Nell McGill (far right) and her family. Supplied.

The commercial and insolvency lawyer of 20 years did get 45 per cent of the vote last time around, with a 5.5 per cent swing in the 2019 election, but it wasn’t enough to rip Labor from its comfy spot.

The charity founder believes Shortland is absolutely “right for the picking’’, ready for a Liberal member to take over, and she’s ready to represent.

“It’s brutal (politics) but I think I can handle it,’’ she laughed.

“Having been through that once hopefully the community can see I’m here, and I’m in it for the long haul, I want to be there, I feel that this is an aspirational part of Australia.

“People are realising the Liberal party is for the worker, ensuring cost of living stays down, more money in their pocket.’’

The big question though, is getting the balance right in the region.

The Federal Government needs to factor in a coal heavy industry here in the Hunter with ambitious climate change plans.

Federal seat of Paterson Liberal candidate Brooke Vitnell (right) and Nell McGill, candidate for seat of Shortland (left) alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison while in the Hunter on November 8, 2021. Supplied.

She will have to assure the coal mining communities that Scott Morrison’s net-zero emissions plan by 2050, and a hydrogen hub in the region, will mean more jobs and economic benefits for the region.

“We have a long history of coal mining and coal is going to be part of our future but we need to diversify and that’s what the Liberals plan to do in their net zero by 2050 plan,’’ Ms McGill said.

“It’s not about throwing away jobs in coal, we want to keep those people employed across the Hunter but expand our interests and investment into other areas such as Hydrogen which is going to be the energy of the future.

“The stuff they’re doing at the Port of Newcastle is just phenomenal.

“We’re a real economic powerhouse and we will manage a change to net zero, and do in it an amazing way by innovating but retaining our connection to the past.’’

Her Liberal counterpart and first-time political candidate for the seat of Paterson, Brooke Vitnell, agrees climate change is going to be a critical theme leading into the next Federal election.

“I want to see people succeed in their current industry and we need to address the challenges of climate change, but we do so at a pace that doesn’t dismantle or jeopardise our current industries which thousands of families across the Hunter rely on to pay the bills and mortgage,’’ she said.

“The PM (Prime Minister) sees the Hunter as a sounding board and where the rest of the country is headed, clean energy, and I’m really excited about it.’’

The Medowie solicitor and former MP advisor, who was born and bred in the Hunter, feels the dynamics of the seat are changing, and the Labor party no longer knows what they stand for.

“Many people are moving here that want to run their business or own their own patch of land and the Morrison Government speaks to those people,’’ she said.

“As we have seen with the recent retirement of Joel Fitzgibbon, the Labor party don’t stand up for workers, they don’t stand up for small businesses and they have lost their way.’’

Unlike the seat of Shortland, Paterson has been switching between the major parties since its inception.

“We call that a bell weather when they keep switching hands. Bob Baldwin was the previous member and held it for nearly two decades and there was redistribution so the boundary changed in 2016 which made it more of a Labor party seat,’’ Ms Vitnell said.

Now it’s in the hands of Meryl Swanson who snatched it from Mr Baldwin when he retired in 2016, capturing 55 per cent of the preferred count over the Liberals.

Ms Vitnell, who is heavily involved in leadership roles with the Port Stephens Community Drug Action Team and youth mental health group, is also a strong advocate for women standing for parliament, citing the Liberal party needs to help nurture aspiring young women to those top spots.

“A lot of young fantastic, capable women across the country and I want more young women to put their hand up and run for public office so policies are more reflective of our community,’’ she said.

“I want young people to see themselves represented in federal parliament.’’