Ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, the Illawarra Flame is giving all local candidates a chance to share their vision for Australia.
Nathaniel Smith is the Liberal candidate for Whitlam, the Commonwealth Electoral Division covering Shellharbour City Council, Wingecarribee Shire Council, and part of the Wollongong City Council LGA.
An Australians for Natural Gas director, Nathaniel replaced former Liberal pick Ben Britton, who was disendorsed in April over views "inconsistent with the party's position", including that women should not serve in combat roles in the Australian Defence Force.
The election will be held on Saturday, May 3. To enrol to vote or update your details, visit the Australian Electoral Commission's website.
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m married to Christine, and the proud father of Charlotte, 13, and Chloe, 10. I started my career as an apprentice plumber, and worked my way up to become Chief Executive of the Master Plumbers Association of New South Wales. In my leisure time, I enjoy rugby league and cricket – while I've stopped playing, I love watching both sports. I also enjoy reading and watching documentaries about history.
What inspired you to enter politics?
I’m passionate about my local community and I’ve always wanted it to thrive. I first joined the Young Liberals over 20 years ago. I’ve had the privilege of representing my area as state member for Wollondilly. At one point I even convinced my father to run for Parliament – a decision he still jokingly holds against me! It would be an honour to be elected to our federal parliament to represent Whitlam.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Bringing down the cost of living is my number one priority. Families are struggling in Whitlam because of Labor’s inability to get control of inflation. I want to see a significant increase in funding for road infrastructure projects. The Liberal team will always bat for more investment for regional Australia. It’s important we support commerce in the Illawarra and a Dutton Liberal Government will make a $30,000 instant asset write-off permanent for our small businesses.
If you could deliver one key local project in your term, what would it be?
We’ve got to stop Labor’s plan to litter our beautiful coast with wind turbines. It’s a misguided approach. It is fantastic news that the Illawarra wind zone has been temporarily paused – but a Liberal Government would go further by rescinding it for good. Labor’s ‘renewables only’ policy has been a disaster for power prices. We need a mix of power sources including zero-emissions nuclear energy to keep the lights on in Australia.
Why are you the best person for the job?
Because we have got to get Anthony Albanese out of The Lodge. Living standards have fallen to new lows in Australia under Labor. I’m the best placed candidate to become the next Federal Member for Whitlam. I’ve got a proven track record of delivering results for our community from my time in the state parliament. I’d hit the ground running and effectively advocate for Whitlam’s needs.
Read more
The Illawarra Flame puts the same questions to all candidates, giving everyone a chance to share their vision for Australia.
- Q&A with Amanda Ivaneza, Liberal candidate for Cunningham
- Q&A with Jess Whittaker, Greens candidate for Cunningham
- Q&A with Alison Byrnes, the current Labor MP for Cunningham
- Q&A with Tim Lavers, the Animal Justice Party's candidate for Cunningham
- Q&A with Carol Berry, Labor candidate for Whitlam
- Q&A with Nathaniel Smith, Liberal candidate for Whitlam
All Q&As updated April 21, 2025
