Cr Johnsen formerly stood for the seat in 1996, at the age of 32, on the retirement of former Hunter member Eric Fitzgibbon.

On that occasion, he obtained a

7 per cent swing against the Labor Party, in what is traditionally a very safe Labor seat.

But despite recent controversy surrounding the sitting Labor member Joel Fitzgibbon (Eric’s son), Mr Johnsen believes he is still very much the underdog.

Mr Fitzgibbon resigned in June last year as Minister for Defence after it was revealed he had failed to report several free trips to Parliament, and that his ministerial office and staff had been used to facilitate meetings between his brother and a big US health insurer.

However, Cr Johnsen said he was under no illusions about the enormity of the task to take the traditionally safe Labor seat.

“Winning Hunter from the Labor Party will be tough,” Mr Johnsen said.

“I do think people in the Hunter have been taken for granted for too long – they’re crying out for change.”

Mr Johnsen said the government’s ETS had the potential to change the political landscape in the region.

“Labor will introduce an ETS if they are returned to office – a tax which has the potential to destroy tens of thousands of jobs in the Hunter Valley,” he said.

Mr Johnsen said as the fastest-growing region in the country, the Hunter Valley urgently needed better roads and railways.

“We’re the economic powerhouse of the state, but we aren’t getting our fair share of the infrastructure we need to accommodate this kind of growth,” he said.

“Let’s face it – as a safe Labor seat, we’re not very high on the priority list.”