With less than four weeks until the federal election, two forums are being held this week in the Bega Valley to take the temperature of candidates for Eden-Monaro.
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On Wednesday, April 27, the Far South Coast Community and United Unions group is hosting a candidates forum at Club Sapphire Merimbula, from 7-9.30pm.
Then on Sunday, May 1, Clean Energy For Eternity (CEFE) has joined with the Bermagui Community Forum to host a candidates forum at the Bermagui Country Club, 10-11.30am.
Both are open to the public and both with an opportunity to pose your own questions to candidates.
Ten names have been confirmed in the race for the highly marginal seat of Eden-Monaro.
It's understood all 10 have been invited to each of the forums, but it's not guaranteed all can make it on the day.
The candidates, in the order in which they currently appear on the Australian Electoral Commission website are, James Holgate, Sustainable Australia Party - Stop Overdevelopment/Corruption; Maxwell Holmes, Liberal Democratic Party; Kristy McBain, Labor Party; Greg Butler, Australian Democrats; Darren Garnon, United Australia Party; Jerry Nockles, Liberal Party; Vivian Harris, Greens; Toni McLennan, Informed Medical Options Party; Andrew Thaler, Independent; and Boyd Shannon, Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
For Wednesday night's forum, each candidate will be allocated 6-8 minutes to respond to three set questions, followed by an open Q&A forum from the audience.
The questions posed were:
- How do you plan to work to improve the lives of people in this electorate?
- How do you plan to work to ensure greater government accountability and integrity?
- Why should we give you our number one vote on the election ballot paper?
Meanwhile, CEFE and the Bermagui Community Forum are also hoping to gauge the approach of candidates on topics including the economy, energy infrastructure, the environment, health, security and social issues.
Both forums are free to attend.
For those who can't make it, both forums are planned to be livestreamed to Facebook by the Bega District News.
Ben Smyth
I have worked as a journalist since 2005 and am now Editor of Australian Community Media mastheads in Bega, Merimbula and Eden
I have worked as a journalist since 2005 and am now Editor of Australian Community Media mastheads in Bega, Merimbula and Eden
