A SELF-professed 'bushie' and mother of three is throwing her hat in the ring to contest the vast north west Queensland seat of Traeger at the October 31 state election.
Marnie Smith grew up in Port Douglas and Forsayth in the Gulf Country, and has worked as a publican, banana farmer and small business owner.
She is currently working for Townsville based LNP Senator Susan McDonald as a diary manager, but has taken leave to contest the election.
Ms Smith said she knows what the people of Traeger wanted in their elected representitives.
"Not only do I know what they want; I also know what they don't want - and that's a politician who keeps saying 'I'll look into it' and then does nothing," Ms Smith said.
"People of the bush are sick of the same old stories and want answers.
"With me, what you see is what you get and that means passion and hard work."
Ms Smith has travelled extensively throughout the expansive electorate, said she was determined to speak up for people living in the bush.
"I've been a publican in Forsayth, banana farmer in Tully, also a wife and mother of three so I can readily identify with the needs of country people," she said.
"While my husband, Geoff, and I were running the Goldfields Hotel, we'd always hear from the customers out there about a lack of support coming from the south east corner. As we all know the north west contributes so much to the coffers of the state government, but that money it does not seem to appear in our rural and remote areas."
"City people just don't seem to understand how tough it can be scratching out a living in the bush, particularly during periods of extended drought and ever-increasing costs."
Ms Smith is no strange to political life, with her father John having spent 28 years on the Etheridge Shire Council, most of that time as mayor. While John was out traveling the sprawling shire,
But she will have her work cut out for her in attempting to dethrone sitting Traeger MP and Katter's Australian Party Leader Robbie Katter.
Traeger is the safest seat in Queensland, with Mr Katter holding it by an impressive 28.5 per cent, over the ALP.
Traeger, previously known as Mount Isa, was previously a Labor stronghold, until Mr Katter won in 2012 when he ousted Labor's Kiernan who sat for two terms.
Mr Katter retained the seat at the 2015 election, and romped it home to win the newly named and expanded seat of Traeger in 2017.
James Bambrick is contesting the seat Labor.