AS South Australians head to the polls next weekend, a number of Legislative Council candidates will look to champion rural issues in the Upper House if successfully elected.
Among the hopefuls is former Naracoorte resident and driving force behind the Cross Border Call Out Facebook page Paula Gust.
While state restrictions wreaked havoc on border communities throughout the pandemic, Ms Gust stood up to advocate for the regions, putting her hand up and negotiating with Premier Steven Marshall to provide a voice for those in cross-border communities.
This led to outcomes such as testing requirements for cross-border community members being scrapped and border bubbles being revised.
With restrictions now eased and her page no longer needed for its original purpose, she has set her sights on a career in politics and will vie for a position on the Legislative Council.
Running as the number two on the Advance SA ticket to John Darley, Ms Gust said she had a lot to learn in the political sphere, but was keen to get her career underway.
"As much as it was hard doing Cross Border Call Out for two years voluntarily, I enjoyed advocating for people and fighting for causes that were close to my heart," she said.
"I had people suggesting it to me as well that they thought that I would be good in politics, even though it's something I would never have considered beforehand.
"I hope that I can get in and make a difference and help regional people feel heard."
Liberal party candidate and Clare valley vigneron Kathleen Bourne will also battle for one of the 11 positions up for grabs in the Upper House at the election.
She said she wanted to run for Legislative Council to be a strong voice for regional issues and back regional representatives in the Lower House.
"Given the SA regions and agricultural sector is so diverse, there aren't just one or two challenges facing regional communities," she said.
"Access to water in one area may not be as much of a problem in another - however, there are a few common themes, one of them being housing availability or a lack thereof.
"Another issue is a lack of seasonal labourers at peak times in sectors such as fruit picking or for the grain harvest, this in turn stems back to the accommodation shortage for seasonal workers.
"I want to see our regional communities have similar access to services that are readily accessible in the metro area."
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Now running as an independent in the Upper House, former Labor MP Annabel Digance said she wanted to move into Legislative Council to provide all South Australians with the chance for strong representation.
She said as the house of review of laws covering all of SA, the Legislative Council was a logical choice.
Growing up on a farm and working across the state as a community health nurse, she said she had relevant experience and a passion to ensure all of SA was strong in health care, education, transport, safety and economic growth.
Ms Digance now lives in Strathalbyn and said she loved the innovation and resilience country communities demonstrated and would champion that if elected.
"Through the accessibility to a local state member of parliament, local residents have a direct link to government to share their concerns such as lack of infrastructure for a growing and beautiful area," she said.
"My motto when previously a member of parliament was 'no one goes unanswered'."
Ms Digance and her husband Greg are currently facing District Court on charges for the alleged blackmail of SA Labor leader Peter Malinauskas.
Growing up on the Yorke Peninsula, Labor candidate Meagan Spencer said she was mindful of what she had when she was young and how important family, community and a healthy environment were for children to prosper.
Ms Spencer said she would work alongside local and regional communities to ensure access to good education, quality health services and opportunities.
"If elected, my priority is to ensure that I am accessible and available to hear concerns and work together to find meaningful solutions," she said.
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