Fiona Kotvojs will run for the state Liberals at the by-election triggered by the departure of Andrew Constance, expected to be held early next year.
Mr Constance has resigned from state politics and will attempt to wrest back the federal seat of Gilmore, the only one Labor managed to take from the government at the last federal election.
He previously sought pre-selection to contest the Eden-Monaro by-election last year, but pulled out of the race within 24 hours.
That by-election was almost won by Dr Kotvojs, in her second attempt to secure the seat for the Liberal Party.
She closed the gap from her previous appearance at the 2019 election but fell short by a little over 700 votes and Kristy McBain held the seat for Labor.
Bega "needs a strong, stable and experienced government, and voting for anyone else puts that at risk," Dr Kotvojs said in a statement announcing her candidacy on Friday.
She wants to use her "diverse experience" to solve challenges facing communities in the seat.
"Assessing and improving delivery of government programs in health, education and tourism, has been part of my job and I want to apply this experience to programs affecting local businesses and people," she said.
Dr Kotvojs is a former high school teacher with a doctorate in education, masters in business administration and evaluation, and a degree in science.
She has also been a member of the Army Reserve and volunteered as a Lifeline counsellor and in the Rural Fire Service.
She farms beef and truffles with her husband on their Dignams Creek property which was affected by the 2019-20 bushfire season.
Critics pounced in the lead-up to last year's by-election over a submission she and her husband made to the bushfire royal commission which focused heavily on fuel load and hazard reduction, which they said were the key issues for avoiding future disasters.
"Unless this is addressed, everything else is meaningless," their submission states.
As opponents sought to paint her as a climate change sceptic, Dr Kotvojs later said she was "really pleased that the terms of reference specifically identify that the royal commission will look at the impact of climate change".
The report from that commission made many references to climate change as well as noting "in extreme bushfires, fuel loads do not appear to have a material impact on fire behaviour", citing evidence from UNSW Canberra bushfire dynamics Professor Jason Sharples.
NSW Labor is yet to announce its candidate for the south coast seat but has confirmed it will run, despite Opposition Leader Chris Minns saying it will be "almost impossible to win" in Bega, a seat the party has never held.
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party could run a candidate as well, after attracting 6.46 per cent of the vote when it contested the seat for the first time in 2019.
