Independent members of parliament will have plenty of influence though, if the prediction of Nicholls independent candidate Rob Priestly comes to fruition.
Mr Priestly is not tipping a winner in the federal election, tipped to be on either May 14 or 21, but he remained certain of one thing in regard to the outcome.
He said the Australian people will be presented with either a hung parliament or a government that needs the support of independent candidates to get anything done.
If neither major party has a clear majority, a minority government could be formed with the support of minor party or independent members.
“An independent is exactly what the Nicholls electorate needs,” Mr Priestly said.
"At this election, the best chance for us to have a strong voice in parliament is with an independent in the seat.
“It’s become obvious that safe seats are on the bottom of the pile when it comes to getting a fair share from government.
“Voting independent to make this electorate tightly contested will force the major parties to give our region the attention we deserve.”
National candidate Mr Birrell and Liberal candidate Mr Brooks said there was potential for the Nicholls electorate to be left without a voice if an independent candidate was to be elected to represent the region.
More than 100 people packed Poppies at Moama RSL for the forum and many watched the action from a live Facebook feed on the Riverine Herald website.
Candidates spent a few minutes introducing themselves before being allocated only one minute to answer nine broad questions posed by the forum’s mediator, Nathan Bibby.
Both Mr Birrell and Mr Brooks claimed a federal member not aligned to a party would not be able to achieve an outcome for the electorate.
And it seems like the message will be a constant through the campaigning period.
Mr Birrell cited the new Echuca-Moama bridge as a reflection of the work the Nationals, as a Coalition member, could achieve for Nicholls.
“The bridge just would not have happened without the Nationals,” he said.
“There are countless examples of the clout of the Nationals and a Coalition government is needed in Nicholls.”
Mr Brooks said feedback from his travels through the electorate had indicated voters were not prepared to vote for someone who didn’t understand the area.
“It’s not good enough to whack on Blundstone boots and a big hat, then say I get regional Victoria,” he said.
Mr Brooks said he knew how important it was for the Nicholls electorate to be represented in a government that could achieve solutions.
“You can only find a solution in a party, only parties can form a government and only parties can get results.”
Mr Priestly said if people kept voting the same way he did not think they would ever get prioritised in Canberra.
“The benefits of government investment will continue to flow to marginal seats in mining regions to our north,” he said.
“Barnaby Joyce promising the marginal coal mining seat of Hunter their Muswellbrook bypass perfectly captures how the system works, and how it hasn’t worked for us.
“We can break this cycle of neglect.”
Mr Priestly said the notion that an independent would not hold sway in the next parliament could not be more wrong.
He said under all election scenarios the electorate would be better off.
“If the Coalition wins, it will be a narrow victory or a hung parliament that puts an independent at the centre of decision making,” he said.
“Our negotiating power will be immense.
“If it’s a Labor majority, having an independent in the seat will be much better for us than a Liberal or Nationals backbencher.
“They might as well be from the moon for all it will do for our prospects under Labor.”
Mr Priestly said Nicholls voters could not afford for it to be “business as usual” any longer.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the way our region is discussed in Canberra,” he said.
“People can see that, and our support is growing every day. It’s an exciting time for us all.”
