Water security was at the top of the agenda of Shooters, Fishers and Farmers' candidate Sam Romano at his official campaign launch for the May 18 federal election on Monday as he declared the state election showed the seat was no longer safe.
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Mr Romano said a "fresh start" would do wonders for seat of Calare and urged the electorate to give a new party a chance after 70 years with the Nationals had lead to "virtually nothing".
"If you don't make a change we'll be stagnant forever," Mr Romano said.
I'm not going to make a promise and then go and have a great time down in Canberra ... if you don't bring results home, what are you doing?
- Sam Romano
"We've been left behind, it's been a safe seat for so long and I'm urging the voters to not be afraid to say no to the Nats ... it's worked with our state member [Phil Donato], working with whichever government is in power at the time and he can negotiate with them."
Mr Romano said he'd heard "so many horrible stories" about current Calare MP Andrew Gee turning away constituents.
"I'm not going to attack him personally but they're the stories I'm hearing," Mr Romano said.
"He's never seen. He doesn't mix with the community. I'm prepared to work with anybody, rich or poor, I take that from Phil Donato.
"I'm not going to make a promise and then go and have a great time down in Canberra ... if you don't bring results home, what are you doing?"
Mr Romano said he was hoping to make inroads on the back of success of member for Orange Phil Donato in the state election in March.
A new dam was at the forefront of his official announcement and said more infrastructure was needed to catch rain when it fell.
"Everyone talks about it before an election but guess what, once they're elected they do nothing. I think we should really focus on fixing the water situation in the Central West," he said.
"We haven't had a dam built in many, many years and I think the time has come where we need to build dams and make sure when it does rain, the infrastructure is in place for these dams to provide water to regional communities.
If you don't make a change we'll be stagnant forever.
- Sam Romano
Mr Romano was also committed to fixing roads a "stopping vegan terrorists".
He said he would seek $100 million for Dixon's Long Point crossing, instead of the $16 million handed down at the federal budget, in order to fix the "goal trail" leading up to the crossing and get it done, accusing the Nationals of using the crossing as an election stunt.
A former farmer, Mr Romano said the government had had years to strengthen privacy and trespass laws, but had only harked up now due to the upcoming election.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
