A long-term business owner and volunteer, Mrs MacDonald was named Guyra's citizen of the year in 2019 and won an Order of Australia Medal in 2020 for services to the New England community.

She will replace veteran Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack, after a vote by representatives of Liberal Party branches from the north of the state.

READ MORE:

Mrs MacDonald will follow her husband, Scot MacDonald, into the NSW Legislative Council. Mr MacDonald served in the upper house from 2011 to 2019.

"Rural communities are the heart and soul of our state, and building a small business while raising a family in regional NSW has given me an appreciation for the issues affecting country NSW," said Mrs MacDonald.

"My husband and I had operated a small agri-business across this region, which has given us great insights into the resilience of country communities."

Mrs MacDonald has lived in Guyra since 1989, when the newlywed moved to the New England to run the successful agribusiness, Guyra Rural Services.

They owned and ran a successful business for more than 30 years, while raising their three children.

But it was volunteer service to the community where she built a foundation for what she said would be her continued advocacy as a parliamentary representative for Northern NSW, she said.

Serving as the president of Business New England, and the driving force behind Renew Armidale, Rotary and the local Liberal Party, she won an Order of Australia medal in 2020.

While receiving the award, Mrs MacDonald identified winning water security for the community with the new Malpas Dam pipeline as her greatest achievement.

She was also president of Guyra and District Chamber of Commerce from 2016 to 2019.

"I am incredibly humbled by the trust that has been placed in me," Mrs MacDonald said.

"I will use this opportunity to bring a rural perspective to the NSW Parliament, and will work incredibly hard to support the Perrottet Government in delivering services and infrastructure for our regional communities, building on the legacy of the honourable Catherine Cusack.

"The Perrottet Government has been doing an outstanding job leading our state through challenging times, investing in our local services and strengthening their delivery, while taking the pressure off our families and businesses.

"I look forward to making a positive contribution in the Legislative Council."

It's not yet clear when Mrs MacDonald will be appointed to the state's upper house.

Mrs MacDonald must first be formally endorsed by the party, and then appointed by a vote of the Legislative Council.

Mrs Cusack indicated she will retire before the next election.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: