Diary - Day 5: The Cairns Show became a campaign battleground, with Labor's Special Minister for State Joe Ludwig, Liberal Senators Brett Mason and Russell Trood and Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce some of the political invaders spotted among the roller coasters and fairy floss. On the national scene, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott traded blows over whether Abbott could deliver his promised Budget savings without breaking a promise not to touch the Fair Work Act.

 

Where the leaders went: The Prime Minister made it to Leichhardt - the Sydney suburb, that is, not the Far Northern electorate. Rumour has it she might make it to the real Leichhardt within the next week. Abbott, meanwhile, was mobbed by kids, rock star style, when he visited a school in southeast Queensland.

Promises, promises: Education policies were announced by both major parties. The Coalition promised to lift the education tax rebate to $500 a year for primary school students and $1000 for high school students. Labor promised 50,000 work experience places by 2012 as part of the proposed trade cadetship program.

 

The Greens announced an anti-obesity policy, including a levy on junk food and alcohol advertising.

They said: "The policy of fiscal rectitude being espoused in Melbourne yesterday by Tony Abbott and his financial henchmen Joe Hockey and Andrew Robb did not reach Cairns. While the trio were busy announcing further planned Budget cuts, the Liberal National Party candidate Warren Entsch was on a spending spree." - Crikey commentator Richard Farmer responds to Warren Entsch's "sports tourism' proposal.

 

You said: "Well that's the footbrawl bogans catered for. What about the other 80% of the oommunity Wazza? And the money will come from where? Now we are going from the so called Valcano to Wazza's Wunderworld." - Wally W via cairns.com.au

 

Campaign trail: Agriculture and Sustainable Population Minister Tony Burke is expected to visit a farming community near Mossman today. Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have agreed to suspend campaign hostilities for the funeral of digger Nathan Bewes on the NSW north coast.

 

Pollie free zone: Zone out of the campaign madness with Hatha Yoga in Gordonvale. There's a session at 9.30am and another at 5.45pm at the town's CWA Hall. Details: 4054 2485.