A small business owner will be running for office as One Nation’s candidate for the seat of Maryborough this upcoming state’s election on October 26.

A small business owner has announced her intention to run for One Nation at the October state election in the seat of Maryborough.

Labor MP Bruce Saunders currently holds the seat.

A prepared press release from One Nation said Taryn Gillard owned and operated a restaurant, La Familia in Kent Street, but her real focus was on volunteering in her community to help people and families in need.

Her campaign launch took place earlier this month and was attended by Senator Malcolm Roberts.

“I’m not usually someone to seek the spotlight but after the past few years under this neglectful Labor government I have to take a stand for my community,” Ms Gillard said in the statement.

“I’m standing for One Nation because Pauline Hanson has been a champion for regional Queensland – getting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for regional roads and community infrastructure around this state, and strongly supporting our $27 billion primary industries sector.”

Ms Gillard said in the statement the biggest issue for Maryborough voters was the cost of living crisis.

“I’m also strongly focused on delivering changes that will strengthen and enhance democracy in Queensland – an upper house for the Parliament and citizen-initiated referendums and plebiscites,” she said.

“If I’m elected, I’ll also be supporting One Nation’s strong measures to address escalating youth crime and Labor’s housing crisis – immigration must be lowered to reduce housing demand, and foreign ownership must be banned to increase housing supply.

“Above all, I’ll be putting Maryborough and my community first. I’m planning regular town hall type meetings across the electorate to ensure the community is kept up to date and can hold me accountable – like we must be in a representative democracy.”

Ms Gillard was sent a series of questions but declined to answer them, referring to the prepared statement instead.

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“The impact is being felt by virtually every family and business in the community,” she said.

She said One Nation supported an independent energy policy that utilised coal and gas and prioritised affordability over climate change ideology, and that she would seek to improve state government support for small businesses, which faced a perfect storm of rising costs, revenue loss due to struggling Australians having to tighten their belts, rising crime and relentless attacks on the sector.