He’s the man whose victory knocked the seat of Orange out of the hands of The National Party for the first time since the end of WWII.
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The 11th state Member for Orange since the Federation, he claimed the first seat in the Lower House of NSW Parliament for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
But former police prosecutor and father of five, Philip Donato, describes himself as a simple sort of guy, who just wants to have a go for the people.
“I’m not having an affiliation to the major parties. I just do what’s good for the electorate,” he said.
He said his policing and prosecuting background had familiarised him with the social issues affecting the Central West.
“I have prosecuted extensively across this region for the last 11 years that we’ve been living in Orange.
“I’m abreast of all the social issues. Domestic violence, ice, drug and alcohol addiction; unemployment and youths with nothing to do, who get themselves into mischief. We need to address and target those types of things to reduce anti social behaviour in town,” he said.
At Forbes Town Hall on Wednesday, he met with constituents in an opportunity to introduce himself and discuss matters within the electorate.
“I want to be an MP known to be accessible and approachable to the people; someone who the people can rely on to work hard for them,” Mr Donato said.
“It’s all well and good to say we want to do certain things but the basics are to listen to the people.
“From there, we can move forward in terms of what their concerns are, what their issues are and go about addressing their particular issues.”
Last year, The MP visited the Lake Cowal farmers who were affected by the district’s flooding and the subsequent road closures.
“The closure of the Newell Highway, that’s a priority I want to see addressed. Having a major arterial road closed for six weeks is unsatisfactory, it wouldn’t happen in Sydney, it wouldn’t be allowed to happen in Sydney.
“The government has already made commitments in the byelection campaign to address those issues and I want to make sure the government is held accountable to that,” he said.
Representing the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, Mr Donato certainly embraces his Central Western lifestyle.
“I like shooting, hunting, fishing, camping and four-wheel driving - all those types of things, enjoying the great outdoors.
“I’m a pretty simple sort of guy, nothing too flash. I’m a family guy,” Mr Donato said.
He intends to visit Forbes once a month and set up an office inside the council.
