Three of eight candidates turned up to Tamworth ballot draw

Nationals' MP Kevin Anderson and Labor's Kate McGrath took a seat among voters as candidates' names were pulled from the ballot box at the Peel Street location on Thursday morning.

Independent Mark Rodda arrived moments after the final list was drawn, saying "I don't really mind where I am on that ballot paper, if people want to vote for me they will find me on it".

Three new candidates were also drawn from the box, including Rebecca McCredie from the Informed Medical Options Party, Sue Raye from the Legalise Cannabis Party and Colin Drain from the Sustainable Australia Party Stop Overdevelopment Corruption.

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Mr Rodda said there are many people in the electorate who are unhappy with the government's management of the economy, health, education and water issues.

"In the Liverpool Plains the farming community is very upset about coal seam gas and the impact to that bio strategic agriculture land, and also the groundwater of the Gunnedah Oxley Basin," Mr Rodda said.

Labor's Kate McGrath, a Gunnedah councillor, took a risk by standing up to shake the esky-looking zipped-up ballot box, later saying "I am thinking that if I hadn't had a shake, maybe I might have pulled a bit higher up."

But drawing second last on the list didn't concern Ms McGrath, she was more focused on health, education and housing "in that order".

She said removing the wage cap for nurses, midwives and paramedics would be key, saying "we will immediately start negotiations" and mandate and enforce safe staffing levels in hospitals.

Incumbent, Nationals' MP Kevin Anderson said it was a "special thing" to represent his community and that he was happy "just having a go" even though he felt nervous this close to election day.

Top among his key issues were health, road funding, cost-of-living, and securing a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner for the North West Cancer Centre.

Locals will need a valid reason to vote early, either via postal vote or in-person when polling stations open from March 18. Everyone else will need to vote on March 25 between 8am and 6pm.

Three of the eight candidates on the ballot are registered in areas outside Tamworth: Legalise Cannabis Party's Susan Raye resides in Sydney's northern suburb of Cammeray; Sustainable Australia Party Stop Overdevelopment Corruption's Colin Drain lives in the Newcastle suburb of Cardiff; and Shooters Fishers Farmers' candidate Matthew Scanlan is in Stannifer near Inverell.

Tamworth candidates as they will appear on the 2023 ballot paper:

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