Mr Sheahan recently moved from Coolac to Cootamundra and has worked in the agriculture sector for several years, including as a shearer and wool classer.

He has also worked in the building and hospitality industries and owned a small business.

Mr Sheahan is challenging Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson for the seat, who was preselected by the Nationals for the new electorate last year.

Cootamundra is notionally one of the Coalition's safest seats, with the Nationals sitting on a margin of 30.3 per cent.

Mr Sheahan said he was standing to bring politics back to the grassroots.

"The motivation for my decision to stand as a candidate comes from a deep concern about the direction that politics has taken in recent years, particularly in NSW," he said.

"The emphasis on populist policies and the control of candidates and members of parliament has had a detrimental effect on all of us.

"It has generated a feeling that we are being neglected and a sense of cynicism and apathy, as we wonder who is really making the decisions that affect our lives."

Mr Sheahan is a former president of Country Labor's Jugiong branch and has recently rejoined the party.

Former Labor Senator Sue West, a Cootamundra resident, has welcomed Mr Sheahan's decision to stand for the party in Cootamundra.

"Charlie Sheahan is an outstanding candidate for Cootamundra, with real local connections and life experience that people can relate to," she said.

"I know that if he is elected, Charlie will be a committed representative who will listen to your concerns and forcefully advocate for Cootamundra."