In a series of Facebook posts, Ms Markham variously describes herself as a nurse and an intensive care nurse, while the Tasmanian Liberal Party has described her as a critical-care nurse. In fact, her registration as a nurse has lapsed and she began work as a Liberal staffer to a Tasmanian state government minister following the 2014 state election. Ms Markham's first tilt for a position as an elected representative was in 2001, when she stood for the Christian Democrats in the West Australian state election. She told Fairfax Media that she had been approached to run and stood "because I wanted to make a difference for my community". She transferred political allegiance to the Liberal Party cause in April, 2012.

Her opposition to liberalised abortion laws came to public attention in 2013 when she was the principal petitioner opposing a bill designed to make it legal to abort unborn babies up to 16 weeks old, and after that point in time with the consent of two doctors. The abortion of a foetus 16 weeks old is legal in every state and territory of Australia, with some caveats, and in many cases well after that date, subject to medical approval. Despite the petition, the Tasmanian laws were passed, with minor amendments. Asked whether she was pro-choice and if abortion should be legal, Ms Markham said only: "I am a Christian and my views are well known".

And it is her husband's views, set out in his book Who Should I Marry and elsewhere, that are arguably even more extreme. Mr Markham has written, for example, that gay marriage is immoral and assistance to gay couples to conceive a child breaches the 1990 UN convention on the Rights of the Child. In his book, he states that a Christian woman "will only marry a man who can lead her" and that a Christian man will "only marry a woman to submit to her husband". He also argues that homosexuals can be "cleansed" and "healed"; boasts of convincing "fornicators" to "propose to the woman he had sex with, and I will continue to do so"; counsels that if you look at pornography, you should "cancel and rip out your internet connection, smash your laptop and smartphone" to avoid "misery now" and hell later. Ms Markham declined to say if she shared some or all of her husband's views, as set out in his book.

"I am more than capable of forming my own views and my views are well known . . . I am a passionate member of the community and I think that we have been badly let down by Labor and by Julie Collins in particular, which is why I put my hand up to be a candidate at this election," she said. Follow James Massola on Facebook Follow us on Twitter