Candidates in attendance: incumbent Liberal MP Angus Taylor, Labor's Aoife Champion, The Green's Michaela Sherwood, Citizens Electoral Council's Lindsay Cosgrove and Christian Democrat Adrian Van Der Byl.

Newcastle-based candidate, Bullet Train For Australia's Trevor Anthoney, sent apologies.

Post journalist Brittany Murphy has live blogged the forum and you can catch up on all the action right here.

6.20pm: Hi everyone, Brittany here. I am having a little difficulty getting some photos thrown in here, but picture this - the crowd is starting to fill the 200 seats we have set out for the night, noise is a steady hum as people rifle through their notes and Goulburn Post papers.

As is usual, the front row seats are left til last to fill. 

Moderator Don Elder is asking for candidates to take the stage. "I keep asking but nothing's happening" he laughs from the stairs. Mr Elder has the task of keeping things under control and running to a nice time.

We're about to get underway. 

6.30pm: I note there is only a very very small contingent of young voters here tonight. Less than usual. Are they over the long election by now? Is it too cold outside to venture out? Have they decided on their vote? These are the things I want to know.

Don Elder has kicked things off. "I'm the arbitrator, mediator... what I say goes."

Aoife is going to be the first speaker. Linsday is second, then Angus, then Adrian, then Michaela. Speaking in order of their ballot draw.

6.40pm:  Labor's Aoife Champion is up first. She starts giving a brief background... "I'm a lawyer, I have two little children, aged three and one, I'm married and live in the north part of Hume."

Aoife says she has seen a clear evolution throughout her campaign.

"When I came into the campaign I was aware of some of the issues that was going to come up... but I was not expecting the environment to be raised in every single forum I spoke at, instigated by the audience."

She says we are at the pointy end of the campaign and we will come to understand we have a decision to make, and not only for ourselves, but for our grandchildren.

"We have a problem where younger people are not enrolling to vote..." 

6.45pm: Lindsay Cosgrove just said hello, reading off a brochure about all the things his party, the CEC, stands for. He spoke very quickly, I didn't catch it (sorry!).

Angus Taylor is on now... "Goulburn is buzzing" he says.

"This is a region of enormous promise."

He just announced that the first NBN fibre will be switched on in Goulburn in the next few weeks. The growth of the southern outskirts of Sydney indicate growth opportunity for Goulburn that is "extraordinary".

"I've been proud to support our absolutely wonderful community over the last few years, I ask for the opportunity to do it again..." he closes.

6.47pm: "This is the most important election in a generation", Adrian Van Der Byl begins.

"The future of the marriage and the family unit as a basic unit of scoiety is a key election issue."

Mr Van Der Byl is now discussing the transgender candidates in this election. Says they "push" toward the obstruction of the family unit. 

Greens' candidate Michaela Sherwood smiles at the crowd.

Mr Van Der Byl says the Safe Schools program is a radical left movement leading to "child sexual abuse".

The audience is not impressed and I hear one cry out "you are joking!".

He says that political correctness is hiding the fact that there is an issue with Islam in Australia. 

"Isil is pure Islam," he claims.

6.52pm: A hearty applause and a "woop" from over the back welcomes Michaela Sherwood to the stage.

"We also stand for the people of Goulburn, and small businesses of Goulburn and surrounds," she says of the Greens.

"A high speed rail service essential to the growth of this region has been in the offering for 30 years but nothing has been done," she says... "The latest plan has no station in Goulburn."

If elected, she will advocate very strongly for the commencement of the project and for a station in Goulburn. If not elected she will still advocate very strongly.

On to the NBN now... "I was reading recently that the original NBN fibre to te premisis plan was actually going to be cheaper than the Coalition's plan... if elected I will call for an immediate, urgent review of NBN rollout in regional, rural areas."

6.55pm: Michaela is firing off the key election issues.. first the very fast train, then the NBN, now on to small businesses. She lists a few points about tax deductions and that wraps up the presentations. 

7pm: Don Elder is now opening up to questions - both pre-submitted and from the floor.

First question is an unexpected one... on the expansion of Israeli settlements into Palestinian land. 

"This is one of those great questions..." Angus says. "I think it is very difficult from Australia and indeed from here to solve a problem which the Middle East, the UK, the USA have been trying to solve for decades..."

Adrian says he has received many emails on this section over the past few weeks.

"It's not going to be an easy one to fix," he says.

7.05pm: Another question to the candidates, that is all except the Greens. Lee Stanton asks about attempts from other parties to abolish the live export trade. 

"Do the other parties have no sense of humanity towards the abominable suffering inflicted on animals by this trade that no mention is made in campaign speeches or materials?" he asks.

Adrian answers first... he says the issue to keep in the back of your mind is if you sell the animal to an Islamic country, is it yours or is it ours?

Angus is next and says animal welfare is a serious issue. "We have to take it seriously and we do".

Second issue is the "welfare of farmers".

"When we saw the live export trade taken away a few years ago we saw a complete collapse of the cattle market..."

The answer has to be high quality accreditation, he says. "That's a very very important part of the animal welfare solution..." and that we can have the best of both worlds.

Lindsay: "Animal welfare is a serious issue..."

Aoife: "Other nations don't do it. They don't do it. Australia has tried several times to deal with it and as its been said it does affect our farmers and our cattle industry. We are between a rock and a hard place".

She said we need to "put people first".

7.10pm: Next question comes from the Southern Tablelands Rail Users Group (STRUG).

"Do you support the electrification of the railway line between Sydney and Canberra and what will you do to get this project implemented?"

Michaela is up first. She's a regular user of the train from Bundanoon to Sydney and says the service is "woeful"

"I could probably walk faster at times..." she says.

She would prioritise the development of high speed rail, with capacity to support commuter services.

Angus is next. No one knows the order. "I'm not sure either," says the moderator, Don.

Angus says he has never seen a plan that doesn't have Goulburn as a station, as Michaela had claimed.

"The Labor party did do a plan when they were last in Government... it was considered to not be economic".

He says if high speed rail were to be done in stages, including Goulburn, and it could work. 

"It's my responsibility to look at this and work on it," he says of his role as Assistant Minister for Cities.

Aoife says she would like to see a feasibility study. As for immediate problems, the diesel rail services do not leave at the appropriate times. Mending this would make a big difference to commuter comfort and reliability. Electrification would be after this as a priority, then the high speed rail.

Adrian is next. He says this part of the rail network was given freight priority over passenger transport by the State Government which "makes it difficult".

7.20pm: Next question is from John Harris, on having TAFE nationalised, with a federal government funding takeover.

Michaela says it is a Greens priority to secure funding for TAFE and to keep it out of private hands. She says the TAFE system is crucial to the future to train technical skills to work on renewable energy targets.

Adrian says we should fund TAFE under Gonski, "or continue to advance and develop the technical skills of our children and grandchildren'.

Angus says the discussion Mr Harris was referring to was about federal funding, not about nationalisation. 

"People need to answer the question of where is the money going to come from?"

He said "there is much more we can do in TAFE", and that vocational education is critical.

Aoife says that Labor supports a joint venture with the Federal and State Governments to manage TAFE. 

"We need to reasses how we feel about TAFE, understand how important it is and that vocational training should be seen more as a role of Government and there should be symbiosis between State and Federal Governments..."

7.22pm: Next question is one submitted by Anna Crawford specifically to Angus on the "privatising of Medicare". It's a long one:

"Malcolm Turnbull continues to say Labor is using a scare campaign re privatising of Medicare. How can we believe privatising isn't in Mr Turnbull's plan when the Liberals have (1) started an official task force to develop a plan and put money in the Budget and recommended dates to prepare for sale (2) paid a consultancy firm $5 million to start the sale and have big banks, telecommunications firms and Northrup Grumman security firm interested; and (3) asked the Productivity Commission to do a report on how to deliver services including Medicare and use America as an example."

Angus says: "That is all completely wrong" and that we should all be "disgusted" at the Labor scare campaign.

"All of this is rot. Absolute rot. Those who are perpetuating this... it's unfortunate."

He said "I will not lower myself to this kind of grubby scare campaign".

Well, that ruffled a few feathers. People are wondering why no other candidates were asked to respond.

7.26pm: Look at how well I am doing, everyone! ^^ We are having a half time break.

7.30pm: We are into the second round of the night. Now, the candidates have had their free go and the audience is ready to hold them to account. 

Don Elder wants to clear something up. That last question, which has caused quite a stir, was definitely targeted at Angus Taylor alone. Other candidates did not get a chance to have their say, but are within their rights to if someone else asks the question later.

"This is where I earn my pay... I have been promised a beer," Don says.

Speaking of, shout out to Peter Oliver for going to the bar for me. I feel like a queen. Over yonder, people are having a bit of a scuffle to get to first place in line for question-asking. They are being asked to keep it short and simple... and orderly.

7.35pm: Didn't catch his name, but a young bloke who is a school teacher from Crookwell is asking a question of candidates to outline their education policies and how funds would be dispersed.

"I don't think we need to go into Safe Schools because we know where you stand on that, Adrian," he says.

Adrian passes the microphone and says "I won't pretend" to know the funding dispersal details.

Aoife is next... "Yes, we will fund Gonski. We have started funded Gonski and we were interrupted. That won't continue to be the case."

Angus: "Just to correct some facts there..." there has been a growth in public education funding.

"What is very clear now with education is we need to get the debate beyond funding. What I have seen personally... is the secret is setting loose great teachers. It is about great teachers. We want to reward, we want to encourage, and mobilise great teachers." 

This is they key issue, he says.

Linsday says he would support funding of Gonski and Michaela supports the full Gonski plan, too.

"We need to be addressing the needs of schools in certain areas of disadvantage," she says.

She touches on how she doesn't support the deregulation of university fees.

7.40pm: Bill Dorman asks the next question.

"Where are we going with science and education in this nation and how is it we call this the innovation nation without the support...?"

Aoife said she recently met a teacher in Narellan who had to work as a janitor to get by. 

"He had a masters degree and they couldn't afford him..."

She talks about how important is it to support STEM in schools. "This all needs to start before university but once you get to university you need to afford it."

Angus responds: "The single biggest issue regional kids face in getting to university is how they pay to live away from home. I hear it again and again and again and again..."

He said in the last 24 hours the government has announced a "significant increase in the youth allowance". This will ease pressure on kids leaving for university.

Lindsay: "One answer to all of this would be to provide a commonwealth bank..." - a true, government-run bank.

Michaela: "I was around when the Prime Minister said we were going to become the clever country... didn't happen."

A crucial ingredient, she said, is like the small business start-ups in science and tech. 

"We need an innovation start up fund... so people who have a great idea, are able to get that idea up and running."

Adrian has now touched on "the so called science of climate change".

At this point, I am actually dreaming of some graphics for the blog. So much text! Tweet some pics of your viewpoint to me at @bmurphy92.

7.45pm: Christine Bentley asks about tax reform. 

"We are constantly hearing that the government can't afford to fund increases... these things could be affordable if we tackled tax reform," she says.

"Would you look at changing the rules so, perhaps, you could negatively gear 1, 2, 3 or 4 houses but not 55 as people are now? Why should we be subsidising these people?"

Angus says if you "pull the right tax levers" you get investment, you get jobs, you get growth.

He said "de-stablising" tax would not be a good thing, at all.

Lindsay calls for the taxation of financial speculation.

Michaela says the Greens support a complete phase over of negative gearing, among a string of other things. 

"We disagree with the idea that that is going to create a collapse of house prices and that is borne out of modelling by various financial institutions," she says.

She says the country needs tax reform and the Greens would like to see "the very wealthy people and the companies paying no tax pay their fair share".

Adrian is next up.

"Those who go into the business of negative gearing take upon themselves a certain amount of risk, and they do it for the benefit of others and particularly the economy," he said.

The audience chuckle softly... but he continues.

Aoife: "This whole election we are talking about the areas where the money needs to go. The question is who do we get it from and how do we get it?"

7.53pm: A man from Bungonia asks a question of Angus Taylor about the NBN and access to internet.

Angus says he knows a bloke who is "very very happy" on Skymuster and "the first areas of Goulburn are being switched on in the next few weeks".

7.56pm: Faye Long asks about mental health... "I want honesty".

Specifically, she is concerned about Headspace being under threat. The CEO, Chris Tanti, resigned earlier this week.

Aoife says funding for healthcare and Headspace is under threat, but passes it on to Angus.

Angus: "There is no threat to the funding of Headspace, and certainly no threat to the funding of Headspace in Goulburn. That is absolutely 100pc clear. Anyone who says other wise is simple not telling the truth."

"I have stood arm in arm with a number of members of this community to fight for a Headspace... I made it a personal crusade to get a Headspace in this city and it is coming."

Michaela: "The Greens have announced a plan for increased funding for mental health services, particularly in regional areas".

She can't recall the exact numbers.

8.00pm: A question now for Angus. I can't hear the man, unfortunately. Something about a declaration.

Angus isn't sure either... "Is it the Lima declaration?"

That's the end of that. No one knows really what it is about.

8.01pm: Alex Ferrara of Goulburn is asking about the NBN. 

"How do you justify people in your electorate, some as little as 3km away from the centre of Goulburn paying for a satellite service that is twice as expensive for 20 times less data allowance than other residents who are literally just down the road?" he asks.

Angus responds.

"I think I have answered this question earlier.. and I've answered this many times before, Alex.. But I'll take it on...".

He said the NBN towers are moving south progressively, from the Wollondilly down.

Aoife now: "Alex... god knows... Malcolm Turnbull decided he couldn't afford you."

Angus: "I do need to correct that. Goulburn is getting fibre and as many of you will have seen the trucks, and it will be here in the next few weeks."

The audience made some kind of noise but Angus wouldn't have a bar of it. "Let me finish..." he shouted.

Well, it's getting a little testy up there between Michaela, Angus and Aoife. 

"Repeatedly I'm seeing a Jedi mind trick going on... 'these are not the speeds you are looking for'... everybody knows what is going on," Aoife is back on the mic, putting on her best Yoda.

8.07pm: Phil Thomson is asking what the candidates will do for rent assistance for pensioners in Goulburn.

Lindsay: "I'd do as much as possible for you as I could."

Michaela: "I am an aged pensioner, except I had to suspend my pension payments to stand as a candidate...

"I'm very concerned about the plight of the elderly people in Australia" and says the Greens have policies to assist.

"We are facing a situation that is going to be critical in the coming decades, and that is the elderly population... and nobody is talking about this in the election campaign."

Adrian: "One works for his whole lifetime and his own asset is his own home... I do appreciate there are some people who are unable to get their own house in order and that's no criticism... but this is certainly a point for even our own children to bring themselves to a state where they shouldn't have to rely on the Government...

"In order to stop this happening in future generations a whole new mindset needs to be created."

Aoife agrees with Michaela that this isn't an issue that has come before her in this campaign.

"It's not right..." 

Angus says the disaster for this region would be if "the growth in housing (was) to stop".

"Houses will continue to become more expensive and less accessible... I've made it my mission to focus on how we get more accessible housing.".

8.15pm: Tom Sebo is questioning all candidates now on marriage equality, but targets Angus.  

A bit of background, Tom is the spokesperson for the local advocacy group.

"You have avoided giving a personal view on marriage equality... If that plebiscite was held tomorrow how would you vote as a private citizen? Do you believe all citizens should have equal rights under law... what sort of world do you want to leave for your kids?"

Michaela: "I support same sex marriage and I have my commitment to that. On the issue of a plebiscite, I think it's going to be very dangerous for those people in the LGBTI community. We are seeing that sort of stuff happening right now and I'm very very concerned about that...

"Parliament is there to make decisions on behalf of the people. If we are going to have plebiscites, then I will be pushing on a plebiscite on a banking royal commission... on all sorts of things."

Adrian: "You can not expect somebody to answer a 'which way will you vote' on such a thing when you don't even know what the question is going to be."

Aoife is a supporter of same sex marriage: "Tom you know my views on same sex marriage. I am a practicing catholic and I fervently believe in a separation between church and state. This is a question that has been put to a state."

"The state is allowed to change the definition of marriage if it matches the community's head space at the time."

She doesn't think the church needs to worry about what the state will do to secular marriage. The Labor party is happy to let the legislators do it, she said.

Angus: "I think you know my view. I have been very public in Goulburn. My view is most of the issues we have spoken about this evening are technical... This is an issue where I have great humility. My view is every person in this room has just a valid view on this question. There is no reason why my view is more important than any of you. I said I would reflect the views of my electorate.

"It is very very important that that vote be done in a respectful way and I will do everything in my power to make sure it is respectful... we should never be scared of democracy. That is my position. I will make a call at the ballot box when I see the question."

8.20pm: Grant Pearce is next up with a question on jobs.

"Local jobs and getting kids into these jobs is crucial for Goulburn... What are the specific policies that your party has to grow local business and get young people into jobs?"

Adrian: "Is it a Government's job to grow local business? Certainly there are issues that can be addressed."

He says weekend penalty rates are an issue. As we become more secular, "such people should not even be able to claim" extra pay on Sunday's.

"It is only when you claim to have a Sunday as a holy day then you could claim to do that."

Aoife says Labor party has a targeted policy about getting young people into work. For small businesses who offer a job to someone under 25 or over 55, or someone returning from long-term parental or carers leave, their income would be deducted.

"It targets employment where it needs to be made".

She says Sunday's are for family and wants to keep penalty rates.

Angus: "We need policies where more jobs are being created."

He says the Green Army program was great in the Goulburn Wetlands, and the Work For The Dole program.

The PATH program, recently announced, is another great opportunity for "incentives".

Lindsay: "One solution would be to introduce the legislation of Glass-Steagall..."

Michaela is taking the time to chat about her Commonwealth Staffing Hub. This has been a major campaigning point for her.

"I never knew cats needed grooming," she says of a local business she has stumbled across during her campaign. 

She wants to see business coaching subsidised. 

8.30pm: Finally, another young person! Waiting patiently for his turn.

"Hi I'm Nick, I'm a 19-year-old so clearly representative the aged vote (what a joker, laughs all 'round). Can we please repeat the Medicare question to the rest of the panel, please?"

Nick is worried about his parents, and his grandparents, having to pay more for health care.

Aoife is the first to respond. 

"Hospitals been defunded... radiologies have petitions at them... Doctors are saying they can't continue to function or operate with the index freezers to their rebates..." she says.

Lindsay is next: "As I said earlier, I am not in favour of any cut back to any area of health."

Michaela says there is a confusion of issues here, privatising versus reducing funding support of Medicare. 

Adrian thinks the question is about how trustworthy Malcolm Turnbull is.

"If you study Malcolm Turnbull's own biography... it will point you in the direction of how he will behave in the future. He has chop-changed directions to achieve his own aims. Go to a website called Stop Turnbull dot com and have a read," he said.

8.34pm: Guy Milson is up next. He's been waiting a while.

Questioning Michaela..."I want to ask, who is going to pay for all of this?"

Michaela says it's a "very good question... an excellent question."

"We are a wealthy country and there is quite a lot of money that comes in. If we get very large companies and very wealthy individuals to pay the amount of tax they should pay fairly, there would be a lot of money available," she said.

"The next thing... there is good debt and bad debt. If the money coming through the door is less than the money you are spending on a daily basis that is bad debt.

"When you borrow to buy your house, and you are able to pay it off.. that's good debt. We propose an infrastructure fund that will fund things like the High Speed Rail, but we do believe in fiscal prudence... so that looking after the disadvantaged and vulnerable is a priority and spending money in areas where it is not valued is not a priority."

Angus says of high speed rail - "If it's going to be funded, it has to be done in a traditional way".

Aoife says $50 billion will come from taxing multi-national countries. 

"Angus I just want to point out, he mentioned there about the question of privatisation of health care, the CEO of Headpsace has recently quit because he feels it is being dismantled... these are the kinds of privatisation we are talking about."

Don pulls her up... "Angus went there, so I did," she responds.

Don wraps it up...

"Ladies and gentleman that does conclude the formal part of the evening" and says it has been a "reasonably happy meeting".

Lots of applause. The people are happy. I'm off now, thanks all!