Queanbeyan community groups are frustrated with the lack of contact they've had with incumbent federal member for Eden Monaro Peter Hendy in the lead-up to the federal election.
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Dr Hendy has turned down appearances at a number of "meet the candidates" forums, held by grassroots organisations, including the Jerrabomberra Residents' Association and Googong Residents' Association.
Dr Hendy responded to questions on the issue at the ballot draw in Queanbeyan on Friday, June 10. He said he had been "meeting voters all [over] the place".
"The fact is this is an electorate the size of Switzerland and a lot of people want debates in their towns but you can't do them all in their towns," Dr Hendy said.
While he acknowledged Queanbeyan was the largest town in his electorate – "it certainly is one of the main towns in the electorate, it's obviously the biggest" – he wouldn't be drawn on why he hadn't attended a forum in the city.
A spokesman for Dr Hendy said the incumbent federal member for Eden-Monaro had participated in five debates for the upcoming federal election, yet none of those were staged in Queanbeyan.
"He has attended numerous meetings in Queanbeyan in recent weeks, including with the Googong Residents' Association," the spokesman said.
While Dr Hendy did attend a meeting with the president of the Googong Residents' Association, Warwick Abrams, he declined an offer to attend the community's "meet the candidates" forum.
Mr Abrams said he received a response from Labor candidate Mike Kelly, who turned up on the night.
"Like most people, we've tried to get both sides," Mr Abrams said.
"Peter Hendy came back to me and said he couldn't due to his schedule. He gave me a call and agreed to meet me in his office, so I met him for half an hour.
"Having said that, it would have been better if he could address the Googong community itself, and not me individually," Mr Abrams said.
A similar scenario was presented by the Jerrabomberra Residents' Association.
President Margot Sachse said her community group had tried to speak with Dr Hendy since mid-April.
"We tried to get Dr Hendy to attend one of our meetings and he declined," she said.
"I had to post on Facebook and for it to be shared, and then finally his office responded saying he was somewhere else in the electorate and he couldn't attend," she said.
"That was even though we asked for him to specify a date, and we started asking before the election was even called."
Ms Sachse said she appreciated Dr Hendy was a busy man.
"I appreciate he has one of the world's biggest electorates … But he lives in Queanbeyan, and we said we would fit in with any time in his diary. We're a marginal seat … It makes you feel like we're not important enough," Ms Sachse said.
