PM: I'm here obviously to do some work with the Cairns City Council, an important project, to upgrade the Cairns CBD.
This is an important centre of Australian tourism. The Cairns City Council have asked us for a federal injection of $4.6 million.
I'm here today with our candidate Billy Gordon to announce that's exactly what we are doing, investing $4.6 million here into Cairns.
The reason we are doing that is because this city has got to look spick and span for the future - that's what the mayor's told me - in order to continue to attract tourists not just from Japan, not just from China, but right across the world.
This is our one investment on the beautification of the Cairns CBD.
As someone told me, Mr Abbott was here recently and said it was beautiful enough and didn't need further injection.
I simply listened to the local government, and that's what they've asked for and that's what we are going to support.
A word or two about Billy Gordon, our candidate. This fellow has been born and bred in Far North Queensland.
On top of that, he's been an army reservist; on top of that he’s been a bloke with a passion for this local community and how we can turn Far North Queensland to an even better place for the locals to live and for a stronger local economy, as well.
We were talking just before about his opponent Warren Entsch, and let me just say a word or two about Warren Entsch.
Warren Entsch talks a big game in Canberra, he talks a big game here in Far North Queensland.
But when it comes to the vote, he votes for Tony Abbott to disconnect people's local broadband, to vote against the funding for the Bruce Highway and to vote against, or not support, the funding for this project here.
So you can talk a big game up here in Cairns about what a strong local member you are, but if in Canberra you don't go and argue the case and deliver real investment for your community, well frankly, it's all pretty hollow.
Let me just say one or two things about what this Government of ours has been doing in Cairns and Far North Queensland.
I do this particularly for the benefit of our friends in the local media and the local community, because it's worthwhile putting the record squarely on the wall.
Here in Far North Queensland we have invested $133 million in funding 66 new school libraries, 23 multipurpose halls, 7 science and language centres and some 49 new classrooms.
I think that's a big investment in education.
In our local secondary schools we have installed more than 7000 new computers to make sure there is no digital divide between the kids up here in the Far North part of the Queensland and kids elsewhere in Australia.
Trades training centres - we have built seven trades training centres right across Far North Queensland, a total budget of just under $20 million.
Then I look at the university, James Cook University. We have put a massive amount in funding in there.
The dental school, which we funded some $52.5 million and on top of that the Cairns Institute, itself worth now some $20 million and I understand it will be open very soon.
These are big investments in a very important institution for the Far North Queensland local economy.
On top of that, let me just say one more thing about education.
I was talking to Premier Campbell Newman on Friday in Brisbane about getting behind the Better Schools Plan for Australia's future.
Under the Better Schools plan - this is a really important figure - if Campbell Newman was to agree with us, it would mean $3.8 billion invested more in our schools across Queensland over the next six years.
That's a lot of money. Let me give you an example.
In Cairns State High School it would result in an additional $12.6 million over six years. An additional $2 million - in fact, a little bit more - each year.
So I'd say to Premier Campbell Newman, get with this project to build better schools for Cairns and for Far North Queensland. The money is so important.
Then I go to health and hospital services. Out here at Cairns Base Hospital we have invested just under $10 million to establish a regional cancer care centre.
It's one of about 20 we have done around the country so that people who don't live in the capital cities get first class cancer care here in regional Australia.
On top of that, we have invested some $12 million into the planned procedure centre, $14 million into a 16 bed rehabilitation unit, as well as, as I said before, the investment we've made into the dental school out here at the university.
We have funded $5 million for the Cairns GP super clinic; we've established Medicare Local here in Cairns as well. These are important local initiatives.
DisabilityCare, which we have just launched nationwide; when it's up and running we'll have some 2800 people here in Far North Queensland supported by DisabilityCare Australia.
That's a really important Australian Labor Government initiative.
If I go through the rest, paid parental leave, an important reform for our country, here in Far North Queensland we've already got 2100 local families drawing upon paid parental leave.
And roads, roads, roads. Here in Cairns, $150 million to do the upgrade of the Bruce Highway in Cairns southern suburbs, part of a $5.7 billion dollar investment right across Queensland to upgrade the Bruce Highway.
Let me just put that into context.
We've been in office for just under six years. We've invested and are committed to $5.7 billion worth of investment, and we have been in office for just under six years.
Mr Howard, in his period in office which was about 12 years, spent about $1.3 billion on the Bruce Highway.
So let me just put it into context. On the Bruce Highway, this Australian Government has invested more than four times the amount of what Mr Howard's Government invested, and in less than half the time.
So if I hear any hypocrisy from the Liberal National Party on who is investing what in the Bruce Highway, you need to know these facts and figures.
Can I say overall this has been a good opportunity to spend time with Billy today and catch up with local supporters and members, and also members of the public.
This election campaign is going to be a marathon, and it's going to be very tough to pick who is going to win come election day, whenever election day is held.
But we have got to have good runners in the race. This bloke is a good runner in the race, I'm backing him all the way. Billy, say a few things, and off we go.
BILLY GORDON, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR LEICHHARDT: I wanted to first of all say thanks very much for the Prime Minister’s visit here today and I want to thank all the supporters who have come out today.
I want to touch on something the Prime Minister talked about.
He talked about real investment for Far North Queensland.
We need to start thinking about what the roads, what our infrastructure, what our spending has been here in the southern corridor.
I live across the road from the Southern Access Bypass, I see firsthand exactly what a real investment looks like. I see it on a daily basis when I'm travelling here to work.
What we need is more than chocolate roses here in Far North Queensland, what we need here is more than crocodile skin boots; we need real people to stand up for the real people of Far North Queensland. Thank you.
PM: It's great also to be here, of course, with your local Senator Jan McLucas, who’s a Minister in our Government, and also Catherine King, who is in our Cabinet and she’s the Minister for Regional Australia, and that's why she's here, to support Far North Queensland.
Any questions, folks?
JOURNALIST: In regards to the ETS, there were plans for that underway with Julia Gillard. What’s different with your plan?
PM: The Cabinet is working towards a floating price for carbon rather than a fixed price.
The Government is moving in this direction because a floating price takes cost of living pressures off Australian families, and still protects the environment and acts on climate change.
We have still got fair bit of budget work to do because this has to be a budget neutral undertaking. But that work’s under way with the Cabinet committees.
JOURNALIST: So where are the several billion dollars’ worth of cuts going to be made?
PM: The Treasurer and others are working on this proposal. It necessarily has to be budget neutral.
The key thing though is that with this change, it would mean that Australian families have less cost of living pressures and it would also mean strong action still on the environment and climate change.
I just add on that, on climate change, this is the Government that ratified Kyoto, this is the Government that brought in the 20 per cent mandatory Renewable Energy Target, this is the Government which has also brought in a carbon price.
What I've spoken about today is the move to a floating price.
JOURNALIST: Do you expect Prime Minister O'Neill to raise a pretty scathing report, the second one by the UNHCR, on Manus Island when you talk with him?
PM: The reason I'm going to Papua New Guinea, is based on a conversation I had with Premier O’Neill in Brisbane not long ago.
The number one reason is that here in Far North Queensland, there is huge economic engagement with Papua New Guinea.
We want to make that closer and better and mutually profitable for both business communities. I've spoken to the head of your local Chamber of Commerce about that today.
The second reason is that in Papua New Guinea, the Prime Minister has told me they have real law and order problems in some of their major cities.
That concerns me. I'm going to be talking to him about what we can do to enhance our cooperation there.
Also, there are genuine issues with their hospital system where some of the major referral hospitals are not functioning properly.
Obviously, I'll be accompanied by the Trade Minister, Richard Marles and I’ll be accompanied by the immigration Minister Tony Burke and we’ll be dealing with any other issues which are raised on the PNG by side.
JOURNALIST: Do you expect that to be raised? It was a pretty scathing second report on the conditions at that-
PM: The thing about a Government visit to our nearest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, is that the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister will inevitably raise what's on his mind.
I have a very open mind to dealing with his set of challenges and ours and obviously the ongoing implementation with existing immigration arrangements with Australia.
JOURNALIST: Tony Abbott wants to abolish the ETS. Why don’t you do the same?
PM: Mr Abbott has said that he thinks climate change is crap - that's what he said - word for word. That's not what I have said that he said, that's what he said.
So he would just like to wish climate change away, pretend it's not going to happen.
As for his so-called direct action model, it won't work and it will cause a huge, huge financial impost on Australian business.
Around the world, people are moving towards a floating price on carbon. It's the case in Europe. It's also being experimented with in one form or another in China and in other economies as well.
You can't just stick your head in the sand and pretend that climate change is not happening. It is.
Therefore, the responsible answer to the climate change challenge is what are we going to do about it.
We have three sets of actions. We've ratified Kyoto, we've brought in a Renewable Energy Target of 20 per cent of total electricity generation by 2020, and thirdly, we have a price on carbon.
And also, if this new direction is taken and supported through our Cabinet budget review committee process, then of course we would have a floating price.
See you later.
[ENDS]