Prominent alcohol reform campaigner Tony Brown has announced he will run as an independent in the October 25 Newcastle byelection sparked by the resignation of former Liberal MP Tim Owen.
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Mr Brown was a driving force behind the introduction of lockout laws for Newcastle pubs in response to escalating levels of alcohol-fuelled violence.
The model has since been adopted by the NSW government for the violence hotspots of Kings Cross and central Sydney following the fatal assaults on teenagers Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie.
Mr Brown said he was motivated by "many requests from ordinary Novocastrians encouraging me to run who feel short-changed and betrayed by both major political parties".
"As a true Independent Member for Newcastle, I will devote all of my energy and persistence here and in NSW Parliament to ensure we finally receive our fair and honest share of revenue and responsible investment," he said.
The announcement comes after Premier Mike Baird visited Newcastle to apologise to voters on behalf of the Liberal party following the resignations of Mr Owen and his fellow former Liberal MP for Charlestown, Andrew Cornwell.
The MPs quit after the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard they took tens of thousands of dollars from a property developer to fund their 2011 election campaigns. Developers have been prohibited from donating to NSW election campaigns since 2009.
The Liberals have announced they will not contest either byelection as an "act of atonement".
Labor is running Newcastle councillor Tim Crakanthorp in Newcastle, while the Greens are running another Newcastle councillor, Michael Osborne.
Two other independents - project management consultant Jacqueline Haines and former Hunter Business Chamber president Karen Howard - have also announced they will run.
