The prime minister's tour of the north reached Cairns today, focussing on one of the few regional seats in Queensland that Labor considers to be in play. The Albanese government's decision to fund 80 per cent of the state's Bruce highway has piqued the interest of other states.
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00:00What pickleball is to tennis, this mini-campaign is to the general election, a stripped-down
00:09version of the real deal.
00:12And for our tennis-obsessed Prime Minister, a sign of the long slog ahead.
00:18The Prime Minister was in the far north Queensland seat of Leica, considered Labor's best chance
00:24to win a regional Queensland seat, with the long-term incumbent retiring.
00:29Warren Ench is someone who is from the other side of politics, but I have a lot of respect
00:34for.
00:35Labor's secret weapon for the seat is former NBL basketballer Matt Smith.
00:39I haven't seen a better candidate in the entire time I've been in politics than Matt Smith.
00:46The ALP looking to boost his chances by announcing $50 million worth of infrastructure for the
00:53region.
00:54The Prime Minister was also spruiking the government's $7.2 billion funding for upgrades
01:00to the Bruce Highway, and taking shots at the Coalition's record.
01:05Nothing tells the story of neglect of the former government like the Rockhampton ring
01:10road.
01:11The government's promise to fund 80% of the project, instead of going halves with the
01:15Queensland government, has grabbed the attention of other state leaders.
01:20Well I think the Prime Minister has set the precedent now, so I very much look forward
01:23to the next conversation.
01:25Well that's nice to have isn't it, 80-20, absolutely, we certainly would never say no
01:28to an 80-20 split.
01:30While voters are still none the wiser as to whether the election will be called early.
01:36One potential trigger for an early election would be some positive inflation news, with
01:41all eyes on tomorrow's fourth quarter consumer price index.
01:45For a Prime Minister sweltering through a mid-summer's northern odyssey that's all about
01:51showing he has no intention of sleepwalking into a difficult election, a Reserve Bank
01:56rate cut would be big news.