And as Labor candidate Jennifer Podesta and the Greens’ Dick Wellard addressed the group of 20 in Woodland Grove, the question was, where was the member for Benambra Bill Tilley?

Mr Tilley said he had declined to attend the March Australia Albury-Wodonga rally because he did not agree with the stance of its organisers.

He said he did not agree with the view organiser Alan Lappin had of conservative governments.

“I defend his right to have an opinion but I don’t agree with him,” he said.

“People have a democratic right and I defend it to all lengths but I don’t have to turn up if I don’t agree with them.”

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Mr Wellard was not surprised Mr Tilley did not attend but said even if he didn’t agree with Mr Lappin’s views, he still represented in parliament those who did attend the rally.

“He has an obligation to hear what they have to say,” Mr Wellard said.

But Mr Tilley disagreed and said the few people at the rally was disproportionate to the number of people in the electorate.

“I take a wide range of views across the electorate and state,” he said. “The event was disproportionate to most of the soundings I’m getting.”

Mr Lappin said the lack of people at the rally did not mean people did not care about politics.

“I believe people still care but they are apathetic,” he said. “Maybe some are just sick of hearing about it.”

While Mr Wellard used his time to make statements about Mr Tilley, Ms Podesta used it to again put her policies forward before next Saturday’s election.

She said Benambra needed more than just infrastructure and if she was elected she would make education, community services, families and healthcare her priorities.

She said she would strongly focus on education because she believed it to be the root of problems affecting the electorate such as unemployment, family breakdowns and the ice epidemic.

“People need the right start to achieve,” she said.

“I am making sure the young people here have the opportunity to reach their potential.”