After running for office for the first time earlier this year in the Gilmore federal election, Kate Dezarnaulds will run as an independent at next month’s by-election for the state seat of Kiama.

Dezarnaulds finished third behind re-elected Labor member Fiona Phillips and Liberal candidate Andrew Constance at the 3 May federal poll.

The Independent for South Coast organisation, which Dezarnaulds represented in the Gilmore campaign, had always intended to nominate candidates in the region at the next state election.

After Gareth Ward’s demise as Kiama’s elected member due to sexual assault convictions, Independent for South Coast has endorsed Dezarnaulds as its candidate for the 13 September by-election.

The nationwide Community Independents Project, endorsed Dezarnaulds’ Gilmore campaign, and along with Climate200, will once again back the Berry businesswoman’s attempt to represent Kiama in NSW Parliament.

As president of the Berry Chamber of Commerce, she doubled membership following the COVID-19 pandemic and helped the picturesque village win "Top Tourism Town" three consecutive years.

Her own business, WorkLife, was named the Shoalhaven Small Business of the Year in 2024.

She was recently named the Outstanding Business Leader at the inaugural Kiama Business Awards and WorkLife was also nominated in the Excellence in Small Business category, dual recognition of the company’s impact in the region.

In announcing her candidacy for the by-election, Dezarnaulds said she wanted to offer the voters bold, practical representation to tackle the region’s most pressing challenges.

She has identified affordable housing, healthcare and creating opportunities through the energy transition as key issues that need to be addressed.

“Kiama is my home. It’s where I’ve raised my children, built a business, and invested in the people and places that make this region so special,” she said.

“I’ve been here through the challenges of the last few years - but I know the magic that happens when our community comes together.

“I cannot stand by and suffer the division, distraction and denial that is driving our broken political system.

“This community deserves leadership that listens, acts with integrity, and seizes the opportunities of innovation and progress to build a better future - not leadership obsessed by party politics.”

As a long-time resident, married to a local builder, and a mother of three teenagers, Dezarnaulds said she was well aware of the pressures families face and the meaningful solutions needed to address them.

Dezarnaulds said her priorities for Kiama were:

• Affordable housing and healthcare.
• Powering the future through clean energy and local jobs.
• Community resilience via better disaster preparedness funding.
• Honest leadership by putting people before politics.
• Protecting what we love in the environment and local character.

“Thriving communities are built on collaboration, opportunity, and resilience,” she added.

“From supporting small businesses to empowering grassroots organisations, I’ve always worked to ensure that local voices shape local solutions.

“Kiama doesn’t need career politicians. It needs someone who’s lived the challenges of this community and is ready to fight for its future.”