One Nation hosted an event at the Scottish Arms Hotel in East Bowral last night for supporters to meet Sharon Cousins, the party's candidate for Whitlam in the upcoming Federal election.

Cousins was born in Sydney and raised in Wollongong before working as an insurance broker in the United Kingdom. She then returned to Australia, establishing a resume-writing business.

On her website Vote Wisely, which provides free information about Australian elections, Cousins describes herself as “an independent researcher, writer and analyst. I have 20 years of experience with Federal, State, Territon7 and Local Council Elections. Since 2003, I have been involved with voluntarily assisting various political party Candidates and Independents as a Campaign Worker or Coordinator with election documentation, research, marketing and writing or rexdewing Candidate profile statements.”

In 2011, Cousins ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate in the election for Wollongong City Council - which had been sacked in 2008 following a recommendation from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Cousins told the Express she had been helping One Nation's Queensland Senator Malcolm Roberts since 2023.

She decided to join One Nation and run as its candidate in Whitlam “because I have been following them for a number of years and love the gutsiness of Pauline Hanson and their common sense policies.

“Australians are being squeezed by bad policies and out-of-touch politicians. We need leadership that puts families, jobs, and affordability first. One Nation is the only party standing up against government overreach and fighting for everyday Australians.”

Like all non-Labor candidates, Cousins opposes the offshore wind farm proposed for the Illawarra. She said One Nation supports keeping Australia's mining industry strong while investing in practical, cost-effective renewable energy solutions.

One Nation's policies to relieve cost-of-living pressures include reducing fuel taxes by 26 cents per liter, cutting electricity bills by 20%, and placing a moratorium on GST for building materials to lower home construction costs.

Cousins told the Express she is a Christian and reviews all policies from all parties with her religious beliefs in mind. She is an advocate for family tax splitting and pensioner benefits and exiting global ist organisations like the World Health Organization and United Nations.