Mr Hyde was this week endorsed by the Australia Labor Party as their candidate for the yet-to-be-called election.
Also confirmed to be standing against the long-term Liberal incumbent so far is independent Michelle Milthorpe, who was endorsed by the grassroots movement Voices of Farrer.
“I believe I have the skills, experience and connections to make a difference in the lives of the people of Farrer,” Mr Hyde said.
“My adult life has been about serving my communities whenever and wherever the call has come, and I look forward to all the great moments to come in serving the people of Farrer.”
Mr Hyde moved to Tocumwal 18 months ago after a career in public service in Canberra.
His various roles included being an analyst and educator with the Department of Home Affairs.
He also served on the Belconnen Community Council, and was its council leader for several years.
For his dedication as a public servant, Mr Hyde was recently made a life member of the Community and Public Service Union.
He had been a long-time visitor to the Southern Riverina before making a permanent move to Tocumwal, here he said he enjoys talking to people at the local clubs.
“I've been coming down to the Murray to golf for almost two decades now, and fell in love with the region,” he told the Southern Riverina News.
“I am the chair of the Murray Riverside Village Residents Committee, which has exposed me to different layers of need, all accessed through different layers of government and the services they provide.
“I relish the problem-solving aspect, which is why I suspect I ended my career in IT and cybersecurity at Home Affairs.”
Mr Hyde said the thing he enjoys most about being part of the Tocumwal community is its people and their dedication.
“There's a sense of ‘we can do anything’ in this community, which in and of itself is just about all the inspiration I need to start this journey.
“Then it’s about getting out to the other cities and towns in this great electorate to hear the other stories so we can start to understand the depth of the issues and prioritise them.”
Mr Hyde has been a Labor man since he was a teenager, and said entering politics seemed “a perfect fit for my skills, knowledge and experience”.
“It is also an opportunity to put to rights some of neglect we've seen from the Farrer incumbent over the last dozen or so years,” he said.
“It seems to me that she has spent a lot of time concentrating on her own aspirations than those of the people of Farrer.
“The five pillars of my campaign are the issues Sussan hasn't addressed for this electorate in her 24 years since taking over from Tim Fischer, a man I greatly respected.”
Mr Hyde’s five pillars include a greater focus on a properly resourced health care system, balanced water and environmental policies, connecting with and delivering on behalf of communities, accessible education without financial disadvantage and a focus on infrastructure investment with the promise to “fight for more funding, resources and outcomes that improve our lives here in Farrer, rather than making promises that are dependent on winning government”.
A date for the federal election has not yet been set, although political experts predict it will take place between March and May this year.
29°C