A close race for Monaro

The seat of Monaro was won by John Barilaro for the Nationals with 47 per cent of the primary vote to the 41pc for Labor's Steve Whan, with preferences getting him over the line.

This election, Mr Barilaro and Mr Whan go head to head again - they were joined by the Greens Upper House candidate Justin Field last week in Cooma to hear the concerns of farmers in the electorate.

The Native Vegetation Act, wild dog control, council amalgamations and Local Land Services (LLS) were the main topics of discussion from the crowd at the NSW Farmers meet the candidates event.

The main problem with the Native Vegetation Act in Monaro was invasive species like African lovegrass taking over paddocks with native pastures, and farmers not being able to combat this by planting improved pasture species that don't allow the pest species a foothold, the forum heard.

"It's (African lovegrass) everywhere between Canberra and Thredbo," said Andrew Rolfe, "Maffra", Cooma.

"The only way to deal with it is to take out the native grasses, but the Native Veg Act doesn't let you do that."

A number of landholders asked the Monaro politicians what their parties intended to do about the Act.

Mr Barilaro admitted the government had not achieved what the Nationals hoped in relation to the Act, but said he hoped for a better result in the next term should the Coalition be re-elected.

"The 43 recommendations (of the Biodiversity Legislation Review) gives us a new road map to where we need to be," he said.

Mr Whan, on the other hand, was unapologetic about Labor's intention to keep the Native Vegetation Act.

"Labor does not agree with replacing it," he said.

Mr Whan did not want to see a scenario where environmental activists were protesting outside farms for land clearing, similar to protests at coal mining sites in the state, but said it could be possible to look at ways to help the Act work better for farmers, especially for pasture management.

Mr Field said the Greens also didn't want to see a "war over Native Vegetation".

He said the Greens were willing to work with the government of the day on the issue.

On the issue of LLS, Mr Barilaro said the model of combining Live-stock Health and Pest Authorities (LHPA) with Catchment Management Areas (CMA) and elements of the Department of Primary Industries was the right one for the future.

"We made a bit of a mess of it... and probably didn't do enough planning up front, but the true value of the LLS will be realised," he said.

Mr Whan said the creation of LLS was "one of the most regressive steps" taken in NSW agriculture.

It was simply a money-saving measure demanded by the Treasury, he said.

Mr Field said the Greens wanted to see more local control over the regional boards, with elected members to outnumber those appointed by the government.

Wild dog control was an emotional topic for many producers in the area, with stock losses common.

Mr Field called for a tenure-neutral approach to biosecurity and invasive species, and said the Greens had a good track record on calling for solutions on pest animals.

"The Greens have also called for foxes and deer to be declared pest species," he said.

Mr Barilaro said new wild dog management plans from LLS were a breakthrough, and announced there would be an extra $100,000 for management of wild dog breeding hotspots in the Monaro region.

Landowner Michael Green applauded this announcement, saying more needed to be done in baiting core breeding areas of the pests.

Tom Peden, Bombala, called for more assistance to local councils for road maintenance and improvement, and wanted to know what the parties' plans were for council amalgamations.

Mr Whan said Labor did not support forced amalgamations, as did Mr Field for the Greens.

Labor's plan for improving council finances in Monaro was to bring more public sector jobs to places like Cooma, which would reinvigorate the economy and provide a wider rate base for the council.

Mr Field said the government should make use of "record low interest rates" to borrow money for regional roads.

Mr Barilaro said the government hadn't changed its policy of no forced amalgamations, and money for roads and other regional infrastructure would come from the privatisation of urban electricity networks.