Seven candidates are contesting the seat of Upper Hunter in the March 25 state election

Mr Lonergan lives at Kayuga near Muswellbrook on the family farm where he grew up. He has worked there since the early 1980s, cropping and grazing merinos and cattle. He also taught science for 20 years at Upper Hunter high schools in Muswellbrook, Aberdeen and Scone.

Representing the Greens he ran for the seat of Upper Hunter in the 2015 state election and for the seat of New England in the 2019 federal election.

He has been active at grassroots level campaigning against coal mine expansion in the Upper Hunter and he is also opposed to the construction of the Hunter Gas Pipeline.

James White from Maitland works as an underground coal miner at Glencore's Integra mine near Singleton and he is standing for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers.

The 30-year-old trained as a boilermaker and fitter machinist and has spent his working life in the mining industry.

Although not coming from a farming background he would like to see policies that enable farming and mining to co-exist successfully in the Upper Hunter.

The sitting member for Upper Hunter is The Nationals Dave Layzell who was first elected to represent the seat at the 2021 by-election.

A construction manager before entering parliament he lives on a farm with his family at Clarence Town.

He has been keen to see progress on the Singleton and Muswellbrook bypass projects and played a role in ensuring the transmission lines from renewable energy projects in the Central West did not impact agricultural lands around Cassilis/Merriwa.

Singleton born and bred Dale McNamara describes himself as a self made businessman who now operates a diverse range of enterprises including pubs, farms, commercial and residential properties, race horses and of course coal mining services.

He is standing as an Independent at this election having stood for One Nation at the by-election in 2021 and federal election in May 2022.

Mr McNamara is fully supportive of the coal mining industry and believes it should be allowed to expand further providing ongoing secure well paid jobs and royalties to support local communities.

Lifelong resident of the Upper Hunter Peree Watson is the Labor Party's candidate. She lives in Branxton with her husband Ian and has raised her three children in that local community.

She has strong mining connections through her late father former President of the United Mineworkers Union, Mick Watson. She has worked across accounting, hospitality, management, and journalism before moving into the not-for-profit industry - the Hunter Medical Research Institute, the Leukaemia Foundation, Hunter Children's Research Foundation, the Mark Hughes Foundation and the domestic violence charity Got Your Back Sista.

Her platform for election is based on better healthcare, quality education and secure employment.

Tom Lillicrap from Wallsend is a current medical student and medical researcher and he is standing for the Legalise Cannabis Party.

He spent a good part of his adult life making and selling a recreational drug. The fact that this drug (alcohol) is perfectly legal emphasised for him the need to have a sensible and rational approach to regulating drugs, an approach which has definitely been missing to date.

Singleton's Calum Blair is representing the Sustainable Australia Party - Stop Overdevelopment/Corruption.

He has stood for election before including at the May 2021 by-election.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from University of Newcastle and has been mentoring and tutoring HSC mathematics for local students and was previously involved in volunteer education programs with the Singleton Library.

He is passionate about local jobs and the need for a more diverse economy, including a strong manufacturing base.