Two Meet the Candidate forums held for the upcoming federal election have struggled with attendance so far. But it's not the public who have been missing, but New England MP Barnaby Joyce.
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Mr Joyce, who is running against seven other candidates will attend his first public forum on Friday night in Inverell.
A forum will be held in Armidale next Thursday at Armidale City Bowling Club, hosted by Armidale Business Chamber.
On Thursday, Independent candidate Adam Blakester criticised Mr Joyce for not attending the public forums where voters could ask questions.
"They're all neutral space for candidates to attend, for the community to ask questions and express their views and candidates to have an equal opportunity to respond," he said.
"We're seeing a couple of things happen now. One is we seem to be seeing the same pattern as we've seen in the last three elections. Our incumbent Member basically doesn't attend them and doesn't respect the community inviting him. His cancellation of the Zonta Women's Forum is a demonstration of that.
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"The other thing we're seeing now is some community organisations that should be neutral, taking a political side. Organising an invitation event ... and no other candidate having an opportunity to be there."
Mr Blakester said it was his concern that we needed to be doing democracy.
"It is about an equal voice for the electorate involving all the candidates to be compared and contrasted," he said.
"What we shouldn't be doing is politics; where local organisations get pulled into a political position."
Labor's Yvonne Lanenberg said the meetings were marvelous, especially for voters who were "on the fence".
"It gives you the opportunity to ask the questions, so meet the candidates are vital for our region," she said.
"It's also a venue for the incumbent ... it gives him a chance to say what he has done and what he sees in the future."
"These meetings are for the voters, not for me personally. It's a chance for everyone to find out what everyone has to offer."
Independent Rob Taber said he would be unable to attend the Inverell meeting because of a prior engagement on the night that was made many months ago, but agreed the forums were very important.
Barnaby Joyce's office was contacted and a spokesman said he had no information about what forums would be attended by the Member for New England.
