The announcement was made at the Country Labor conference at Forster late last month.

The former school principal said he was incredibly proud to be the party’s candidate in the coming election next year.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I am extremely humbled and very pleased, and looking forward to meeting the people of Lyne,” Mr Costa said. 

The Lyne electorate covers an area north of Port Stephens to beyond Taree and includes Bolwarra, Lorn and Dungog.

Mr Costa was formerly the state Member for Wollondilly and served as NSW State Water Minister, before moving to the Mid North Coast about two and a half years ago.

On the top of his agenda for the Hunter suburbs in Lyne’s electorate are heritage and infrastructure.

“I’m a real stickler for who we are and where we came from,” Mr Costa said. 

“The Hunter region is going to grow quite quickly so we need to manage that and manage it well.

“We don’t want to lose the heritage [in the Hunter]. It’s about maintaining the heritage that we have by embellishing it and not destroying it which can be done by good planning.” 

Mr Costa added he would also be prioritising water security if successful in winning the federal seat.. 

“It’s a very important agricultural base down there,” he said. “There’s significant protection required. Something needs to be done to ensure there’s adequate supply, and not mess with what we’ve got. We have to make sure what is available is shared.”

Lyne is currently held by The Nationals’ Dr David Gillespie who has held the seat since 2013. “I’m looking forward to meeting the people in the electorate down south,” he said. 

“I’ve got my roller skates on and I’m ready to get down there. I would love to host a meet the candidate event to get to know everyone.”

The date for the next Federal election is yet to be announced