Serena Copley knows she’s the underdog in the Kiama by-election campaign but the Liberal Party candidate is a fighter who has found out the hard way that politics can be a tricky game.

Copley was elected to Shoalhaven City Council in 2021 but her time in the role came to an abrupt end last year when an administrative error from Liberal Party HQ meant she was unable to stand again because the nomination forms for more than 100 unlucky candidates had not been submitted by the deadline.

This time around there was no such problem with the Liberal Party staffers checking and double-checking to make sure the NSW Electoral Commission had received her nomination well before the cut-off date.

When asked what she learned from that debacle, Copley said: “That my will to serve my community wasn't diminished by an administrative error.

“Things happen, and I was disappointed but pragmatic. It was something that was out of my control. But I'm a very positive person, so I'm still here.

“My values haven't changed. My focus on the community hasn't diminished.

“And what I'm seeing under the current government is concerning, and I'm the sort of person who will step up and fight for what I believe in, and this community's worth fighting for, and that's what I want to do.

“It never changed my desire to serve my community and fight for our local community. It just meant those plans were put on hold a little bit.”

When disgraced former Liberal MP Gareth Ward resigned in the wake of his convictions for sexual assault offences in July, Copley said she saw it as “a natural progression” to nominate for the vacant seat.

“I've always been interested in state politics. And it was always the intention there that if the timing was right and the seat ever became available for one reason or whatever, it would be something that I would definitely look at,” she said.

“You know what they say - a day's a long time in politics.”

“I don't think there were that many people were surprised that I would naturally step up. One door closes, another one opens.”

Copley has been buzzing up and down the geographically vast Kiama electorate which stretches from Albion Park to west of Nowra.

“The four-week campaign has been challenging for everybody,” she said.

“I think anybody would like to have more time to get their message across. But it's a level playing field.

“I'm hearing from the community that they are feeling forgotten down here. And my message to them is we can't reward that with handing the seat to Labor.

“We need to have somebody who wants to fight for our patch and make sure we're getting our fair share. And not just being focused on when there's a by-election.”

One of her major issues with the NSW Government, particularly if Labor rival Katelin McInerney is elected, is the plans for housing growth and associated infrastructure in the region.

“There's definite concern about how we grow. And also the lack of facilities that are being discussed with that growth,” Copley added.

“So there's a big push and targets from the Minns Labor Government to councils for housing. But there's no discussion about what supporting infrastructure will come with that growth. They're not talking about schools.

“They're not talking about road upgrades. They're not talking about water or sewerage upgrades, waste transport stations. All the things that will be impacted by a growing community.

“They're just focused on the housing targets. We shouldn't be just growing fast. We should be growing well.

“It's about the cost to build too. There's so many fees and charges imposed on buildings under this government. That makes it not viable to build homes.

“It's important for a government to get the settings right. And we're not seeing that at the moment. We're seeing a lot of focus on housing, but we're not seeing small businesses being supported.

“They're the lifeblood, the engine room of our economy. When our small businesses are doing well, our communities are strong.

“The cost of doing business in NSW is getting more and more expensive. And harder and harder to manage. That is something that has to stop.”