The three main parties are all represented by candidates from the coastal area around Lismore.

The sitting member, National Party, is in the process of moving into a brand new mansion at Lennox Heads, which is not even in his electorate.

As is the case in any electorate in NSW, the Tenterfield community has issues that need addressing, and these coastal candidates need to be put in front of the local community. They need to be questioned on how they intend to do things better and how they intend to be a good representative of the electorate.

We have Thomas George as the sitting member, who is in his twilight years, and has been found missing when many of the hard questions have been asked by the Lismore community.

We also have Isaac Smith, the Labor candidate, who has done his apprenticeship as a Lismore City councillor. And then we have Adam Guise, from the Greens, who has a legal background and has been very vocal on several issues affecting the Northern Rivers region.

Surely these candidates need to face the people - the people they are supposed to represent!

They need to show they are worthy of being elected, as we have seen such bad representation in the past. Kissing babies and shaking hands does not make a good representative!

A public forum is needed.

Charles Wilkinson

Bentley