AT the verandah town of Bowraville on Wednesday 22 February 2023 democracy in action was on display when candidates for the seat of Oxley in the upcoming State Election sat side by side to respond-in-turn to questions from concerned voters.

Organised and hosted by Liz Wait, this true grass roots community event gave the five aspiring candidates for the NSW State Legislative Assembly – Lower House and two for the NSW State Legislative Council – Upper House, an opportunity to respond to questions from their constituents.

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The evening was very well attended and the passionate but largely respectful audience made it clear to the candidates what issues were on their minds.

NSW State Legislative Assembly – Lower House candidates were Michael Kemp (Nationals), Dominic King (Greens), Troy Irwin (Independent), Megan Mathew (Legalise Cannabis NSW) and Josh Fairhall (Independent).

For the NSW State Legislative Council – Upper House were Michael O’Neill (IMOP) and Colin Grigg (One Nation).

Each candidate had the opportunity to address the gathering for three minutes at the beginning of the evening in order to provide an introduction on who they are and why they want to be elected.

This was followed by candidates being given two minutes to stand and answer the same questions.

Some questions were emailed to the organiser prior to the event with others being submitted on the night.

The dominant issues on the night were the housing crisis and the cost of living pressures on families, the continuing concerns over pollution such as sewage going into the Nambucca River System and forest destruction, particularly the Nambucca State Forest.

Questions linked to the Great Koala National Park proposal seemed to be recurring and candidates’ responses to this subject differed broadly.

It was questions on the subject of mandates during the COVID pandemic and the loss of jobs due to the mandates that seemed to draw the strongest reactions from the audience.

The candidates who strongly supported the reinstatement of workers who lost their jobs due to mandates drew strong applause from a large proportion of the crowd as did those that supported a full enquiry into Government handling of the COVID pandemic.

From the perspective of the event being an opportunity for voters to gain a strong understanding of where candidates stand on the big issues, the evening was a success.

MC Lizzie Wait and time keeper Faye Aspiotis ran a tight ship and kept both the candidates and audience in check ensuring an equal opportunity for everyone.

The tone for the Meet The Candidates event was set very early by Liz Wait in her opening comment when she said, “What a privilege it is to live in a free, democratic country where you can vote for the candidate of your choice.”

By Mick BIRTLES