All five candidates for the State seat of Upper Hunter will be in attendance .

Candidates will each have 10 minutes to address the audience before answering four questions from the panel. Questions from the floor will then be permitted.

Ahead of the Meet the Candidates evening, the Gloucester Advocate asked each candidate to contribute 200 words about themselves and address what they felt were the key election issues for Gloucester residents in the lead up to next month's poll (including Christian Democrats candidate Richard Stretton who did not respond to the Advocate’s offer).

Their responses are below.

MARTIN Rush is the Country Labor candidate for the State seat of Upper Hunter.  

Martin, who is in his seventh year as Muswellbrook’s mayor, was the driving force behind the introduction of a royalties of regions scheme in NSW as well as real time air quality monitoring in the Upper Hunter and the placement of additional Department of Planning compliance officers in Singleton.

As mayor of Muswellbrook he has overseen the resealing or upgrade of 50 per cent of the shire’s roads in six years. 

He has also been a strong force behind the introduction of additional education resources in the Upper Hunter with Muswellbrook Shire Council behind the construction of a residential student college and shortly to commence a joint TAFE-university campus in its main street.  

As a barrister, he recently appeared for Gold Walkley Award winning investigative journalist Joanne McCarthy in the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Catholic Diocese of Maitland Newcastle concerning claims of cover-up of historical child abuse cases.

Martin will work hard to improve road infrastructure, prevent further TAFE cuts and closures across the electorate, for better health services, for additional train and other transport services, and for deeper involvement of the community in decisions around land use planning - particularly with respect to coal seam gas and coal mining.

MY wife Zenda and I have been living in the Upper Hunter since we were married 29 years ago.

Our children Ben and Lucy are now developing their own careers and we now have two grandchildren Willow and Ned and they too, will want stability and opportunity as they grow.

I came to the area as a dairy hand and have since grown a successful small business as a financial planner, working with families to help them achieve the financial security to lead the lives they choose.

It takes hard work, commitment and passion to ensure we can achieve the lifestyle we want for ourselves and our children.

This is the philosophy I have lived my life by and it is why I am committed to representing Upper Hunter in State Parliament; to give back to the community, which has given our family so much.

Land use conflicts, mining and coal seam gas are critical issues for the Gloucester community, as are health education and community services and infrastructure that good government provides.

The Upper Hunter deserves a representative in the government that listens, is passionate and capable; who will take a common sense approach and be truly accountable for their actions.

SINCE my first job working alongside my dad teaching children to swim at the local Scone swimming pool, I have worked for the local community and today I manage the Scone and Aberdeen neighbourhood centres.

I love living in a country community, I have raised my daughter here and enjoy watching my grandchildren growing up.

During the last nine years I have served on the Upper Hunter Shire Council as a councillor, deputy mayor and mayor.

I am running for State politics because I was sick of our electorate being taken for granted.

In my job I see every day how people are finding it tough and how services are being stripped away from our regional communities, it is the same in all of our towns across this electorate.

But I was not interested in representing a political party, both major parties have ignored our communities for too long and I do not believe N-S-W stands for Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong, but that is where all the money goes.

I am running as an independent, so I can do what my community wants, not what a political party wants.

It is an exciting time to be an independent, more people sick of political parties and more communities want an independent to represent them; as a community we can create the change we need. For people, not parties.

I LIVE in the Upper Hunter valley near the town of Denman with my wife Kathleen. 

We raised our three children here and enjoy living and working in the valley. 

My background is in education and science. I have enjoyed many different careers, running my own business and working in private enterprise. I am active in my community as a volunteer and have filled many and varied community roles. 

As a Greens candidate I oppose coal seam gas and new coal mines.  

I am campaigning for a transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and a low carbon economy. I see the following as the key issues for Gloucester:

- Land use conflict - gas extraction and coal mining are opposed by some residents but supported by others. Is Gloucester’s land, water and air under threat? 

- Since Local Land Services was formed are agricultural industries still getting adequate support?

- Climate change is the biggest challenge that the world faces today. What are the future impacts of climate change going to be for Gloucester, economically, socially and environmentally?

- A diverse economy is a thriving economy. How can Gloucester attract long term sustainable industries and investment?

- How has Gloucester fared under successive State governments?