Ms Diffey, who is standing in the North Ward, said while there had been a lot of anti-amalgamation views in the community before the merger, it was time to move forward.

“I think that a forward looking council is one that is cohesive and works together. We have the opportunity with the amalgamation to set an example and show that it can work,” she said.

“I’m very much a glass half full type person and not a glass half empty type of person.”

Clare’s Angels was proof of what could happened when you focused on the positives of a situation, Ms Diffey said. The organisation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Rett Syndrome research – the neurological disorder Ms Diffey lost her daughter to three years ago.

Ms Diffey said she believed council’s focus should be on fixing roads and bridges, renewing aging infrastructure, upgrading the parks and ensuring sporting facilities were maintained.

A strong relationship with the federal and state government was also needed, Ms Diffey said, to allow council access to funding.

Dubbo and the local government area would not benefit from dwelling on the past, she said.

If elected by the people in September Ms Diffey said she would get straight to work putting the community’s interest first and ensuring Dubbo was the best it could be.