She was subsequently employed as the private secretary to Bob Pearce, Environment Minister in the Lawrence government, but this ended abruptly in 1992, when she was charged by police with stealing $3,280 worth of postage stamps from the state.
[3] Farina became involved in local politics in the late 1990s, and was serving as the deputy mayor of Bayswater when she began to be raised as a possible candidate to replace retiring MLA Diana Warnock in the seat of Perth for the 2001 state election.
This caused significant anger in local branches, as Farina had no ties to the regional electorate, and David Smith, a minister in the Dowding and Lawrence governments, quit the party in disgust.
[8] In her first term as a member of the Legislative Council, Farina often acted as a spokesperson for government policy in the region, but rarely spoke in parliament.
Farina had requested that he only be charged with a summary offence to avoid the publicity of a full trial, and he was subsequently found guilty of stalking.