Mr Burke, who has lived in the region for the past two-and-a-half years with his wife Linda, is the operator of a small wholesale plant nursery.

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His political involvement began in 1997, when he joined the newly formed One Nation Party (ONP).

“Some likeminded friends and I established a very proactive branch,” Mr Burke said.

“I was endorsed as a candidate twice, served on the State Executive for two terms and was on the short list for the Senate preselection team before I left the ONP.”

Asked by the Citizens Party to run as a candidate for Lyne, Mr Burke said he is excited at the prospect of representing the region, despite admitting to “abhor career politicians”.

“Irrespective of the outcome of this election I will be involved in establishing a strong Citizens Party branch structure here in this electorate, and assisting the same elsewhere,” he said.

In terms of policies, Mr Burke said he opposes the “outsourcing and relegation of power” to consultants and unelected entities.

“These unaccountable decision makers want a cashless economy instead of a crash-proof economy, and they are increasingly usurping our rights and freedoms which are under siege.”

Mr Burke was a staunch opponent of Labor’s recently proposed Misinformation and Disinformation (MAD) Bill.

“We (the Citizens Party) have been very active in opposing the MAD censorship bill which the Labor government dropped.

“This is a liberty of conscience and free speech issue.

“By whose standards do we decide what is hate speech etc?”

Protecting the right to use cash is also high on his agenda.

“We must learn from the mistakes of other countries and keep cash in our economy.”

Mr Burke is an advocate for establishing a public auditor to maintain transparency in our banking system, and of providing greater support for regional banking institutions.

If elected Mr Burke said he would work to free farmers from “burgeoning bureaucratic red and green tape” and protect primary producers from “predatory speculators who want to make a quick dollar by subdividing farmland”.

Supporting small businesses is another campaign focus, particularly reducing the cost of energy.