NOLA MARINO
Liberal Candidate for Forrest
SOUTH West born and raised Nola Marino has been part of the regional and agricultural community for many years.
Ms Marino was the ABC Regional Rural Woman of the Year in 1996, received a certificate for outstanding service to the community in 1997 from the Harvey Shire Council and a Premier's Australia Day active citizenship award in 2004.
Since being elected to parliament in 2007, Ms Marino has served as the opposition and government whip, culminating in her appointment in 2015 as the first female Coalition chief government whip.
As a strong advocate for the South West, Ms Marino said mobile phone and blackspots, infrastructure, agriculture and live export were important issues for Forrest.
"I want to see the South West benefit from an improved economy, which will build on our strengths in mining, agriculture education and the services sector," she said.
"The coalition has a plan to deliver a strong and prosperous economy through less tax, less regulation and by getting the federal budget back under control.
"We are asking Australians to back the Turnbull Coalition's plan for a strong new economy.
"Our plan is carefully structured to provide jobs and growth and a secure future for Australian families. It is deliberately designed to help small and medium businesses first, because they will drive growth and will create jobs. Most of these are family-owned and family-run businesses."
The South West has been a major beneficiary of investment in communications, Ms Marino said.
"I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his support as the previous communications minister to get better broadband sooner to the South West," she said.
"Unlike the Labor debacle, when we were looking at action next decade, my region is today seeing towers go up and boxes being built on street corners.
"The NBN national rollout plan to September 2016 identifies about 55,000 premises that will be able to connect to the NBN by means of fixed line technology and an additional 3320 premises getting access via wireless technology throughout the South West.
"The Greater Bunbury region will see a total of 32,300 premises accessing the NBN via fixed line technology much faster than previously thought.
"The Busselton region will see a lot more people accessing the NBN much faster than previously thought, with a total of 16,600 premises that will get fixed line access to the NBN and another 2,500 to get wireless access."
Ms Marino said the South West had been a major beneficiary of the government's Mobile Black Spot Funding program.
She said the coalition had committed $3 million towards 14 new or upgraded mobile phone towers in the Forrest electorate, to provide mobile services in under serviced areas of the South West, especially in more regional and remote parts.
She said in total 75 of the 106 identified mobile black spots in the Forrest electorate would receive coverage under the program, which includes funding from the federal and WA governments and service providers, and will see $15.52m spent across the Forrest electorate.
Ms Marino said the Busselton-Margaret River airport has the potential to open up markets in Asia for high quality food and wine and future potential for direct flights for incoming tourists.
"Last week I was delighted to announce that a re-elected coalition government will invest $9.78m to expand the Busselton-Margaret River Regional Airport," she said.
"The airport expansion is essential for the long-term development of the South West region, and I am delighted to see federal investment that will underpin the international potential of this critical asset.
"It is a truly regional project that has support from across the South West, which will provide access to Asian markets for our great South West produce and tourism experiences.
"The Busselton-Margaret River airport expansion project is another example of the coalition government's unrelenting focus on jobs and growth in regional WA."
Ms Marino said the coalition was delivering significant commitments to the agriculture sector, including a $200m increase in biosecurity funding, $190m for rural research and development, $100m for pest and weed management, $2.5 billion concessional local program for farmers and the $500m National Water Infrastructure Fund to provide water security.
She said $1m had been committed from the water infrastructure fund for the Wellington Dam and Collie River to enhance these critical South West water assets.
Ms Marino has been engaged in agricultural small business throughout her working life and has been a keen advocate for the sector since she won the seat of Forrest in 2007.
Being born and raised in Brunswick Junction, Ms Marino and her husband bought their first dairy and beef property in Harvey after they were married.
She comes from a family with strong business links to Greater Bunbury in the heavy haulage, earthmoving and transport industry.
Ms Marino has worked on agricultural and regional bodies and groups, was an inaugural member of the Murdoch University Veterinary Trust board and a director and vice-chairwoman of Dairy WA.
Ms Marino said since 2013 the Coalition had strengthened the Department of Agriculture and Water Resource's capacity to apply penalties, to suspend, revoke or cancel licences for premises that are in breach of animal welfare regulations and suspend or cancel permits for live exporters that were proven to have done the wrong thing.
"The Coalition condemns cruelty to animals," she said.
"Australia has world class animal welfare standards in this country and Australia is at the forefront of driving improved animal welfare standards internationally.
"Australia is the only one of more than 100 countries that export live animals that requires World Organisation for Animal Health welfare standards to be met as a minimum for exported livestock.
"We are committed to improving animal welfare standards in countries we supply livestock to."
Ms Marino said she has a strong regional community focus.
She has worked with and for the community the majority of her life, helping many community and sporting organisations.
She was president of the local Harvey Bulls Football Club for 10 years and awarded life memberships to the Peel Football League and the Harvey Football Club - the first woman to do so.