Forbes will vote for the seat of Orange today, after being shifted out of the Dubbo electorate.

The candidates for Orange are:

Andrew Gee (Nationals)

Bernard Fitzsimon (Labor),

Janelle Bicknell (Greens),

Juan Fernandez (No Land Tax) and

John Gilbert (Christian Democrats).

Voting is also now open for electors who have registered to use the iVote internet and telephone voting system.

iVote is open to people who are vision impaired or have a disability that makes it difficult to vote at a polling place or your real place of living is not within 20km of a polling place.

Registration for iVote is open until 1pm.

For more information on electoral matters go to votensw.info or call 1300 135 736.

All enrolled voters need to vote in today’s NSW state election. 

Polling places are open 8am to 6pm today, Saturday 28 March.

You can vote at: Forbes High School, 

Forbes Tennis Club, 

Forbes Town Hall, 

Eugowra Public School, 

Bogan Gate Public School and 

Bedgerabong Public School.

JANELLE BICKNELL - GREENS

More police and community-based health and aged care services, as well as greater investment in renewable energy, water security, biosecurity and education are some of the priorities that Greens candidate for the Orange electorate, Janelle Bicknell said she believes are important for Forbes.

As a registered nurse specialising in older people’s mental health and the vice president of ECCO - Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange - Ms Bicknell said she has a passion for community services and the environment.

“I believe in the inherent dignity of everyone and believe we should live in a society based on sustainability and equality - not selling off public assets funding or community services but investing in renewable energies,” she said.

Ms Bicknell has paid a number of visits to Forbes over the past few weeks and said that after talking with members of the community, an increased police presence was one particular area of concern.

“In Forbes in particular I’ve been getting feedback that people aren’t happy with the emergency services and public services,” she said. “We need to be looking into having more police services in Forbes.

“At the moment some people are saying there’s not enough police around for the security reason but as well as that, we believe police are good at preventing crimes; not just to police but to educate and have a presence in town.”

Ms Bicknell said domestic violence is another issue that needs to be addressed in Forbes.

“It’s good to see that Forbes, who were in the top six for domestic violence, have gone down to 10 but we still need to implement more services in the region to combat domestic violence,” she said.

More community based health services, the aged care sector, job creation and renewable energy solutions are also areas that Ms Bicknell said she would like to see more funding in, such as Vast Solar’s Jemalong Solar Thermal Station currently being constructed at Jemalong.

“The Vast Solar thermal plans has created employment for locals and used local contractors,” Ms Bicknell said. “The Greens would like to see more funding, more investment into these projects to help the local economy.

“Many people do want to look into renewable energies but just need the government backing to make it happen.”

Education is also a priority for the Greens who are opposing the government’s TAFE and training cuts.

“These haven’t helped in any way in delivering TAFE courses and an increase in TAFE fees makes it difficult for those wanting to take up a trade or do a diploma,” Ms Bicknell said. “Education shouldn’t be a debt sentence - we should be offering affordable, high quality education.”

Ms Bicknell said water security is also important, especially in a town like Forbes which “can get a bit dry at times”.

She said stormwater harvesting or recycled water are just some of the ways we can improve water security. 

The Greens have committed $7.5 million to establish a Landcare NSW trust fund to help support local Landcare groups which are facing a crisis with funding cuts resulting in loss of staff and closure of those groups no longer sustainable.

“Many Landcare groups are struggling,” Ms Bicknell said.

Another big issue is biosecurity in agricultural areas such as Forbes.

“The Greens believe biosecurity is a major issue in agricultural businesses,” Ms Bicknell said.

“We want to introduce a biosecurity policy for example to make up for jobs lost under the DPI [Department of Primary Industries] cuts.

ANDREW GEE - NATIONALS

Andrew Gee is the father of a young family and a former barrister, a local MP who understands their concerns and the best way to act on them. In his first term in parliament he has very clearly demonstrated his capacity.

Andrew's influence has been particularly noticeable in the area of Health, with the installation of a second linear accelerator to treat local cancer patients and the reintroduction of a 24-hour helicopter rescue service under his tenure.

Andrew grew up in Maitland, where his father was a local mayor. After studying economics and law at Sydney University, Andrew set up a business in Hong Kong with his brothers. He returned to Australia in 1999, and moved to Orange in 2005 with his wife Christina and their four children.

In 2011 Andrew was elected as the Member for Orange, replacing retiring Nationals member Russell Turner.

BERNARD FITZSIMON - LABOR

Bernard Fitzsimon has lived in Orange for more than 50 years. After working and raising his family there, Bernard understands the unique pressures families and small businesses face in regional NSW.

With his rural background, Bernard Fitzsimon understands the needs of our local farmers. 

He knows the importance of our ability to produce food for domestic and international markets, and the importance of proper regulation that protects our farms and artesian water storages.

Bernard Fitzsimon has seen the Nationals take this area for granted for too long by slashing funding to our local hospitals, schools and TAFEs. 

Bernard will stand up for local jobs and essential services so that everyone has a chance to get ahead.

JUAN FERNANDEZ - NO LAND TAX

Candidate profile not available at time of publication. Go to www.nolandtax.com.au for more information. 

JOHN GILBERT - CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Candidate profile not available at time of publication. Go to www.christiandemocraticparty.com.au for more information on the Fred Nile Group.