Former NSW MP Andrew Constance will run for a seat in federal parliament after being selected as the Liberal candidate for Gilmore.
Mr Constance will take on Labor incumbent Fiona Phillips in a battle for the NSW south coast electorate.
Ms Phillips won the seat from the Liberals in the 2019 election with a margin of 2.6 per cent.
But Mr Constance is well known in the local community, having been the state member for Bega for almost 19 years.
During this time he was the state's treasurer and held the disability services and transport portfolios.
Mr Constance said the opportunity to provide greater support for south coast communities was an important factor in his decision to run.
"(The Gilmore community) have seen and lived through the largest wildfires in world history and faced a global pandemic every day now for two years," he said.
"My intention is to continue to work alongside our local community to get great outcomes. I won't take a backward step."
He said he had delivered some of the most significant infrastructure in the region and wanted to continue that.
This includes projects such as the Albion Park bypass, Berry to Bomaderry duplication, Nowra Bridge, Batemans Bay Bridge, Batemans Bay South Link road and Nelligen Bridge.
