Everything from poverty to pamphlets to preferences were part of the parade of politics at The Border Mail's Indi election forum

The audience outnumbered the 150 seats put out in the Huon Hill hotel at The Border Mail forum which featured five of the seven contenders for the North East seat.

Mark Byatt (National), Helen Haines (Independent), Eric Kerr (Labor), Steve Martin (Liberal), and Helen Robinson (Greens) attended.

The most surprising question of the evening was regarding esports, which as the inquirer explained to the largely unknowing audience involve competitive video gaming.

Mr Kerr conceded his party probably did not have a policy on it.

"The first thing that comes to my mind, unfortunately in Australia, is that the NBN connection that we have currently probably couldn't sustain the industry and it's growth," he said.

A more perennial poser was put by Uniting Care chairman Geoff Smith about how candidates would tackle the 15 to 19 per cent of Wodonga residents that live in poverty.

Dr Haines described it as a "terrible statistic" and drew on her personal experience.

"I've seen many people in this situation in emergency departments across this region where I've worked and these people often are struggling on many, many levels and it's that struggle that often creates the mental illness that they end up having," she said.

A 30 year-old on the autism spectrum told the candidates of his struggle, "in the last three months I have lost everything, my savings".

"I'm probably looking at basically ending up going on the poverty line for the rest of my life," he said.

Mr Martin was asked why he had preferenced Clive Palmer's United Australia Party candidate above Dr Haines.

He did not answer the question.

However, the Liberal aspirant was clear when quizzed by Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health member Lizette Salmon why he did not have climate change on a list of national issues in one of his pamphlets.

"It should have been, it definitely should have been on there," Mr Martin said before spruiking Landcare and the need for more recycling of landfill.

On another Liberal brochure stating "vote for an independent and you'll get Labor's higher taxes", Mr Martin was asked if he condoned such "scaremongering".

"The pamphlet did come from Melbourne," Mr Martin replied.

"I think it raised some big issues and at the last forum we saw Helen support Labor's taxes on capital gains, on negative gearing and a variant raise around the super retiree tax.

"When I talk about the retiree tax it impacts 7000 people in Indi, when I talk about capital gains and negative gearing the vast majority of people in their 20s, who are talking to me, have an idea that they want to get an investment property and they want the benefits that other people have had.

"I would love for Helen to rule out supporting Labor and to rule out supporting Labor's taxes which I think are an incredible impost on our community."

Dr Haines said she would not support Labor's policy on dividend imputation credits unless it was amended to be capped at $15,000 and she backed negative gearing changes on basis of aiding housing affordability and stock.

While not dominating the debate like it has in Farrer, the Murray Darling Basin Plan was raised and concern expressed that the community had lost confidence in it.

"Most certainly we need to have some serious inquiry around who is purchasing water and companies that are domiciled in the Cayman Islands straight away makes Australians feel very distrustful of what's going on in the stewardship of our water," Dr Haines said.

Dr Robinson said the basin plan may no longer be relevant to today because of climate change.

"There are going to be a lot more people putting up their hand for that water," Dr Robinson said.

"We have to consider the ecological sustainability of that policy, we have to consider the social impact of that policy and then we have to consider the economy as well."

Mr Byatt said the experts needed to be trusted on the plan.