Candidates for the seat of Dubbo and those in the assembled crowd of about 60 people clearly took a few chill pills before the Anyone But Nats forum held at the RSL on Thursday night.
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Some of the eight forums held so far in the Anyone But Nats roadshow have been notable for the unruly behaviour of National Party supporters and some testy exchanges between the candidates.
Anyone But Nats founder Rohan Boehm was probably pleased with the good behaviour of all concerned because he says there is a misconception that the forums are about bagging the National Party.
"What people get from the forum is a format where they are free to ask questions of the candidates and the answers are freely given, we just want voters to know that there are viable alternatives to the Nats in their electorate, but it's never been about inciting bad behaviour," he said.
"People should go away from our forums knowing they have not been belted on the head, this is a really open and respectful question and answer session where all the candidates are given a chance to do their best to answer voter issues.
"We don't swing our weight behind any of the candidates; we are very keen to give people an idea of the alternatives so they can challenge the authority of the Nats.
"The National Party have had this belief that they have authority over the electorate and what we are doing is demonstrating that there are alternatives and in fact, the alternatives we have in Dubbo are pretty darn good."
Undecided voter Marcus Hanney said he has attended a previous forum and feels the information he gets at the events will inform his vote on March 23.
"I just want to listen to what each of the candidates has to say, I attended the Mudgee forum and I'll go to another one in Stuart Town before the election," he said.
"I have not decided who I will vote for, but the answers I hear to the many issues that are raised at these forums will help me decide who gets my vote on election day."