Radishes, organic kale and a long line at the coffee van are all familiar sights at farmers' markets, but what about federal election candidates?
As the public's date with the ballot box approaches, the visibility of political contenders is increasing in the marginal north-east Victorian seat of Indi – but their presence at farmers markets isn't always welcome.
Beechworth Farmers' Market coordinator Darren Sutton said that while candidates "might look at it as a good opportunity", he thought it was "a little bit unfair to be addressing people at a place they've gone to be for relaxation and leisure and to maybe browse a few stores and purchase something".
Mr Sutton said the monthly market, operated under the Beechworth Anglican Parish, had adopted an "apolitical stance".
"We are not promoting or supporting any political agenda and as a result we want to keep the market free from political promotion," he said.
Mr Sutton said an email was sent out to all the electorate's candidates asking them to "respect that the farmers market is a market" after a candidate tried to set up in the main entrance and was asked to move on.
"The problem is if you let one group in you've got to let them all in," he said.
Mr Sutton, a stallholder, said he had noticed a political presence escalating at several markets in the region.
Albury Wodonga Farmers' Market president Frank Verduci said politicians and prospective candidates had been turning up in increasing numbers over the past two years.
He said everyone was "welcome", provided they were locally relevant.
"Over the past five years [farmers' markets have] taken off in Australia," Mr Verduci said.
"They're pretty respectful, they're not really pamphleting.
"They're using different marketing methods, which is good."
Unfair game?
Labor's candidate for Indi Nadia David said markets were an opportunity to "take advantage of the crowds and get the message out", but that the "reception is often fairly frosty".
Ms David says opportunities to interact with voters in expansive regional electorates like Indi – which stretches from Corryong down to Kinglake – can be few and far between.
Ms David said the perception that candidates were "used car salesman, trying to take your money or trying to take your vote" was a "really old-fashioned concept of removing politics from people's everyday experience".
'Prime areas'
Zareh Ghazarian, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Monash University, said the "value" of local markets was that they could "act as local community hubs".
He said they were "prime areas" for candidates.
"For voters who already have made up their mind or know who they're going to be voting for, the value of these type of events isn't great," Dr Ghazarian said.
In a marginal seat like Indi, he said he would expect to see "greater competition and greater activity in terms of the electoral contest".
But it remains to be seen whether political campaigning can be successfully banished.
Mr Sutton said that while the response to the ban had been "pretty good", there was "a few people wandering through wearing their political clothing" who did not seem to be shopping.
"Sometimes people will push the boundaries of things a little more than what we would like them to," he said.
