Liberal candidates for Paterson and Shortland Brooke Vitnell and Nell McGill announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Medowie solicitor and community advocate Brooke Vitnell will be the party's candidate for Paterson at the forthcoming federal election, as foreshadowed by the Newcastle Herald earlier this year.

Nell McGill, a Whitebridge mother of three, lawyer and founder of a charity that mentors young women, will run for the seat of Shortland for a second time.

Mr Morrison said the two candidates had "strong roots in the region".

"They know the region needs voices that understand the history and value of the industries that have supported the Hunter. They know why my government's plan for net zero emissions by 2050 is so important for Newcastle and the Hunter.

"It will keep the region as a central hub for energy production and technology.

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"We don't have to shut down the resources and energy industries like Labor and Anthony Albanese want to do. We can make Newcastle and the Hunter central to Australian energy production and technologies."

Ms Vitnell was inspired to represent Paterson - where she will take on incumbent Labor MP Meryl Swanson - by "the experiences of families across the electorate that have shaped the Hunter Valley's success".

"My family is Hunter born and bred," Ms Vitnell said.

"They've rolled BHP steel, shovelled coal, cut timber, fought to defend our country and brought up families they're proud of."

Ms Vitnell's husband Julian Leembruggen is a media adviser to the Prime Minister.

She said she was keen to address climate change, but "not at the expense of Hunter heavy industries or the mining sector".

"I'm sick of people demonising the resources that have made our region prosperous and the jobs that put food on tables for thousands of families here. I support a plan to transition to renewable energies at a pace that doesn't hurt locals," she said.

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Ms Vitnell said she was "not afraid of hard work".

"My first job was scrubbing bathrooms while I was studying law at the University of Newcastle and then I worked for the very popular MP Bob Baldwin," she said.

She has also worked for several federal ministers as an adviser.

Ms McGill will again run against Labor member for Shortland Pat Conroy after an unsuccessful campaign in 2019. She is married to primary school teacher John McGill. The couple have three daughters, aged between 7 and 13.

"I want to ensure that Shortland receives the resources and infrastructure funding that matches the housing growth we are experiencing right now," Ms McGill said.

"And I strongly believe that, through supporting local businesses and tourism, we can create job opportunities well into the future."

She sought to use her skills to "give something back to this great community".

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