Cowra farmer and former Wagga editor Pennie Scott says she will run as a independent candidate for Riverina at the next federal election.
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Ms Scott said the National Party had held the federal seat of Riverina for 40 years and the region needed a fresh start on the issues of managing the Murray Darling Basin and climate change.
"I'm basically sick of waiting for things to happen when there has been plenty of clamour and outcry for certain things to happen," she said.
"The capture and storage of natural flows into man-made dams prevents the water from coming south ... people in the Lower Darling don't get water and it's not because it's a dry year, it's because the water is held up in the northern part of the basin."
Ms Scott said Australia was in a period of "existential danger from changing weather patterns" but there had been no action despite significant support in the Riverina.
"It's not just about net-zero emissions, that's just one side. What we do have is a pastoral solution, our farmers practicing regenerative agriculture; they are sequestering the atmospheric carbon dioxide," she said.
"We have to balance the carbon ledger on both sides simultaneously."
Ms Scott, aged 66, is a sixth-generation farmer originally from the western Riverina, established the Eat Local farmer market in Wagga in 2014, and was the founding editor of the now-defunct Wagga Weekly newspaper.
"I spent seven years at Wagga and I used to have a beautiful farm at Big Springs," she said.
Incumbent Riverina MP Michael McCormack has said he will run for the seat again.
Ms Scott agreed she would have her work cut out for her in taking on Mr McCormack, who won with a margin of just under 39 per cent at the 2019 federal election.
"It's one of the safest seats in the country but there have not been very many exciting candidates to oppose him," she said.
"I think the timing for an independent now is quite extraordinary ... I'm approachable, I'm available and I'm here to listen because I want to genuinely represent the people of the Riverina."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has yet to call an election but it will need to take place on or before May 21 next year.
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