LONG BATTLE AHEAD ONCE THE POLL IS DONE

THE two columns (on page 17) are in stark contrast. The Leichhardt tracker of LNP and Labor promises is a political version of a short and tall couple – they are the odd couple. Labor’s Elida Faith has told the electorate constantly that she has been listening since her defeat at the hands of the LNP’s warhorse Warren Entsch last time around.

The long list of pledges shows she has. Kuranda Range Rd, the maritime precinct, water security, jobs and training and of course the environment all received a piece of Labor’s seemingly bloated funding meat pie.

On the other hand, the LNP’s list of pledges is modest to the point of paltry despite PM Scott Morrison, who visited often to this bellwether seat, knowing how important it is to win here.

However, they did pledge where it mattered, supporting water security, the CQUniversity campus and medical placements. It means there is bipartisan support – they’re locked in.

It’s a terrific outcome and the Cairns Post is proud of the outcome after campaigning on all fronts.

Labor has thrown everything at Leichhardt but voters beware.

Only cash for the water project and CQUniversity campus can be accounted for in their costings, the rest we have to trust will come in time, or during a second term, or at all.

Their $210m for the Kuranda Range Rd is for an upgrade, in line with its Labor state government which has no appetite for an alternative route. The LNP has offered a $11m commitment to a study for an upgrade and/or an alternative crossing.

Ms Faith has campaigned well and she is a more polished performer now, the better for more experience under her belt. She has solidified relationships within the Labor machine making her an attractive choice for voters itching for a change from Mr Entsch, who has had a stranglehold on the seat for more than two decades.

Mr Entsch’s detractors want a fresh face with an emphasis on jobs, a housing solution and an easing of cost-ofliving pressures, while his supporters will point to the creation of a reinsurance pool – albeit a long time coming and unproven yet – and his staunch and unwavering support of the marine precinct long before it was embraced by others. No one can deny the Far North would have been decimated had it not been for the LNP’s JobKeeper.

In Kennedy, the man in the hat, Bob Katter, will likely return, his country fans unwavering in their support, lapping up his antics and antimajor-party rhetoric. Support for the minor parties and number of independents running in the Far North prove the divide between city and country is ever widening.

Whoever takes Leichhardt and their government has a tough stint ahead of them.