Deputy Premier Paul Toole, Shadow Minister for Regional NSW Mick Veitch, Greens spokesperson Sue Higginson and Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers spokesperson Mark Banasiak will make their pitch to voters as part of a regional debate series being organised by NSW Farmers.
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The focus will be on regional issues ahead of the March election.
NSW Farmers policy director Kathy Rankin, said regional liveability was a key issue in attracting and retaining workers to support agricultural production in the next term of government.
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And they want to hear from all sides of politics about how they propose to tackle the big issues of health, education, housing and service delivery.
"We saw a lot of people move out of the cities into the bush during COVID, and now those communities are feeling the strain in accessing health services and less affordable housing," Ms Rankin said.
"But there are also a number of really fundamental issues like access to internet and banking services that are moving backwards, and so we consider the issue of regional liveability among our priorities."
A recent NSW Farmers commissioned poll found the number one issue for voters was the cost of living, and high food and grocery costs are likely to make an impact at the ballot box.
"Farmers produce the food and fibre we all need, but they can't do it alone - we need the right mix of skills and workers to get that food from farm gate to dinner plate," Ms Rankin said.
"We want to highlight that in order to keep food affordable, we need a sustainable and functioning agriculture sector and that means strong regions and clear workforce attraction and retention strategies."
The Regional NSW Debate will be held at Armidale City Bowling Club from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday, February 14. Places are limited.
To register go to https://form.jotform.com/holleyt/regional-debate-armidale-rsvp-form.
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