Mark Coulton has been chosen to contest seat of Parkes, which includes Condobolin and the Lachlan Shire, at the next Federal Election, after being pre-selected as the Nationals’ candidate for the sixth time.

He was chosen to represent the Nationals at the party’s preselection meeting on Sunday, 23 May in Narrabri.

Mr Coulton said he is honoured to have been preselected by Nationals members in the Parkes electorate for the sixth time.

“It has been a privilege serving the people of the Parkes electorate for the past 14 years and I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to continue to represent this wonderful part of the state,” he explained.

“Over the last 14 years I’ve fought hard to ensure the bush is not left behind, and I plan to continue fighting for our regional areas, making sure we have high quality health services, internet coverage and infrastructure in place to enable our communities to grow and prosper.”

The Nationals’ Parkes Federal Electorate Council Chair Brendan Moylan said he was proud to endorse Mr Coulton as the local candidate.

“Mark is doing a great job as the Federal Member for Parkes; he’s incredibly hard-working, humble and a wonderful advocate for regional Australia,” he stated.

“The amount of travel he does is quite extraordinary, spending just a few nights at home each month when he’s not travelling around the large electorate.

“He’s trusted, well-respected and an incredibly solid and effective local member.”