Far North Queensland has done pretty well from the 2022 federal election campaign.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been thrown at the seat of Leichhardt in the race between long-time incumbent MP Warren Entsch and ALP candidate Elida Faith.
The same can’t be said for the seat of Kennedy, where Katter’s Australia Party founder Bob Katter is once again odds-on favourite.
Less than 24 hours before we head to the polls, Tropic Now takes a look at all the promises made by the major parties, plus all of the policy platforms at a national level.
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LEICHHARDT
Find a list of the candidates here.
Both the Liberal Party and the ALP have pledged $50 million in funding for a new CQUniversity campus in the Cairns CBD, as well as $107.5-million for new infrastructure to secure the city’s drinking water supply into the medium term.
The major parties have also each pledged $25 million for an additional 20 Commonwealth Supported Medical Training Places at James Cook University in Cairns. They also have similar policies to tackle rheumatic heart disease in remote Indigenous communities.
Labor’s Leichhardt commitments also include:
- $150 million to expand the Cairns Marine Precinct project.
- $210 million for safety and resilience upgrades on the Kuranda Range Road.
- $40 million for Torres Strait marine infrastructure, including dredging, construction and repair works.
- $1.2 billion through to the end of the decade to protect and preserve the Great Barrier Reef.
- $24.8 million to combat yellow crazy ants in Cairns and Townsville.
- $1.5 million to improve the condition of the Saltwater Creek in Cairns.
- It’s also promised a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Cairns to take pressure off local hospital emergency departments and GP clinics and a plan to hire 100 new Centrelink call centre staff in Cairns.
*So far, only funding for the Cairns water project is included in Labor’s costings.
The Liberal Party’s Leichhardt commitments also include:
- $24 million for Stage Two of the upgrade of the Cairns Marine Maintenance Precinct, with a promise of more support once the masterplan and costings have been sighted
- $11 million to undertake a preliminary evaluation and business case on upgrading the Kuranda Range Road.
- $5 million to deliver the Port Douglas Aquatic Park.
- $2.3 million to help deliver a Tourism Information and Business Centre on Thursday Island.
- $1.7 million to help redevelop the Mossman Judo Club.
- $2.5 million to help deliver a fully covered bowling green at Weipa Bowls Club
Already covered in the 2022 budget is:
- $31.6 million to upgrade the Gulf section of the Savannah Way.
- $15 million for Tourism Tropical North Queensland to revive the industry post pandemic.
- A new Regional University Centre in Cooktown.
- $3 million for the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s Yellow Crazy Ants program over the next 12 months.
- An extra $1 billion for the Great Barrier Reef over the next nine years.
- $1.7 million to redevelop Griffiths Park at Manunda for local cricketers
- $1.34 million for a water park at Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park
KENNEDY
Find a list of the candidates here.
Bob Katter’s stronghold on the seat of Kennedy means promises for voters have been lacklustre.
The KAP’s main infrastructure policy platform is $1.5 billion for the Bridle Track tunnel linking Cairns to the Tablelands.
Mr Katter is also pushing a a plan to convert sugar mills into cogeneration power plans at at estimated cost of $11 million.
Both the major parties are relying on national policies to get them over the line in Kennedy.
NATIONAL POLICY PLATFORMS
Housing – or a lack thereof – is one of the major issues affecting voters in Far North Queensland. You can check out policy commitments from the Coalition, ALP and Greens here, with everything from social housing funding to allowing people to use their superannuation to buy a first home.
The Liberal Party is all about economic management and locally, support for tourism, agriculture, fisheries and mining industries. You can view all of their policies here.
From the ALP, the messaging is all about investing in health, aged care and education. Their policies can be found here.
The Australian Greens are strong on First Nations equality as well as environmental issues. See their policies here.
Katter’s Australia Party is big on water projects and protecting the social and economic rights of Australians.
A push to cap interest rates at 3 per cent is the main sweetener in the United Australia Party’s policies.
More water infrastructure and a reduction in the refugee intake are among One Nation’s pledges.
The Socialist Alliance wants to scrap the GST and tax the highest income earners 70 per cent among other policies.
Banning 1080 poison as a pest control method is among the Animal Justice Party’s positions.
The Fusion Party is mostly about climate action, fairness and freedoms.
Doing away with health mandates is at the centre of the Informed Medical Options Party’s push.
The Australian Federation Party wants to establish a Bill of Rights, among other things.
WHY PREFERENCES MATTER
Polls are predicting that 30 per cent of voters will steer clear of the major parties this election, so preference votes are expected to play a big part.
For those not in the know, if one candidate fails to get a majority, then it falls to preferences.
This means that votes for the candidate who came last then go to whoever was marked number two on those ballot papers, and so on until there is a winner.
It’s completely up to you to decide who you preference, however parties like to play politics and make preference deals, which is why they hand out how to vote cards.
The so-called ‘freedom parties’ are putting the majors last.
Following is exactly who the minor parties in Leichhardt want voters to preference as number two for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Australian Greens: Socialist Alliance Party
Socialist Alliance: Australian Labor Party
Informed Medical Options Party: Australian Federation Party
Katter’s Australian Party: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation: Katter’s Australian Party
Animal Justice Party: Australian Labor Party
United Australia Party: Any of the minor parties but he supports individual choices
Fusion Party: Not handing out how to vote cards, leaving it to voters to decide
Australian Federation Party: Informed Medical Options Party
In Kennedy
ALP, LNP, KAP: Independent Jen Sackley
Jen Sackley – No preference card, leaving it up to voters
Australian Greens: ALP
United Australia Party: Katter's Australian Party
