Federal election 2025: LNP candidate Jeremy Neal on campaign progress without Warren Entsch
From fractured relationships to heavily-resourced ministers, it’s all played a part in the vastly different federal election strategies so far in FNQ. Why 2025 campaigns will be so different to 2022.
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A fractured relationship between a retiring Queensland MP and an LNP candidate may be a non-issue internally, but it’s highlighted a stark difference in the early federal election race between the two major parties.
The Coalition’s Leichhardt candidate Jeremy Neal says he’s not concerned he wasn’t Warren Entsch’s number one pick in the party room, hoping the veteran MP would make time to help prop up his campaign.
“As we know, Warren had a different idea for preselection,” Mr Neal said.
“But the Liberal Party has had a huge change in their membership, you’ve got lots of younger people in there, government workers, police officers, nurses, small business owners, retirees, pensioners.
“Yeah it’s unfortunate for Warren that his (preferred) candidate didn’t get up, but he’s a really good bloke, I’d love to have him helping out.
“I’m very much putting all that to the side, because Leichhardt needs eyes on the money and not people fighting in the background.”
Mr Entsch said it was no secret he wasn’t happy with the LNP’s process, but ultimately was in support of Mr Neal, against his major Labor rival — Matt Smith.
“My relationship with him is not positive. I was disappointed, I had very strongly supported Alanna (McKenna),” Mr Entsch said.
“And I didn’t like the way the process was dealt with, but the decision has been made, the appeal has been dealt with and they have confirmed Jeremy’s position.
“There is nothing more I can do about it, so I think we got to get behind him.”
But asked if that would mean he would be on the campaign trail alongside Mr Neal, the retiring MP said he didn’t want his opponents winning the seat.
“We’ll determine that in the very near future on what is necessary, but I certainly don’t want (Labor winning it).”
It contrasts heavily to the support Labor’s Mr Smith has received during the unofficial campaign period, bolstered by a wide range of ministers filing into the Far North in recent months including multiple visits from Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek, Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles in October, Health Minister Mark Butler and Treasurer Jim Chalmers in December, and more recently, senators Anthony Chisholm and Murray Watt this week, as well as the Prime Minister and infrastructure minister Catherine King.
All of whom, of course, have stood by Mr Smith in various press conferences, alongside Cairns-based Labor senator Nita Green.
Undoubtedly, Mr Smith is winning the airtime, against his major opponent, who in response believed Labor’s artillery wasn’t winning in the early voter race.
“Because if you knocked on someone’s door, and asked them for one of those (Labor) announcements, they wouldn’t be able to tell you one of them,” he said.
“But they talk to you about the cost of living and housing crisis.
“I don’t feel like the underdog because we’ve actually got a plan to address those two big issues.”
While this year’s federal election is yet to be called, Mr Albanese hit the ground running with a northern Australia tour this week including $7.2bn for the Bruce Hwy, before dropping into Cairns to announce $50m worth of housing and community infrastructure projects.
While in 2022 then Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the former Opposition Leader Mr Albanese went toe-to-toe with bipartisan fiscal commitments for the Far North, Mr Neal said he envisioned this year’s campaign would unlikely be a battle of dollar promises.
“When I door knock, the two main issues are the cost of living and housing. Those are very much policy related fixes.
“We’ve already identified inflation is causing the cost of living crisis, we’ve identified $100bn in savings, so it’s hard to say we’re going to have a big spending campaign,” he said.
“Helping with housing through (reduction) to immigration intake. That’s not a monetary policy, it’s true policy.”
Mr Neal said he couldn’t confirm when Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would be headed to the Far North, but the Leichhardt electorate would be on his itinerary.
Mr Smith said beyond doorstops with Labor ministers, his campaign had also included phone banking, and doorknocking as well as trips to the Cape and Torres Strait.
“I also have continued to run basketball clinics for kids across the Far North and volunteered at sporting events across the region too – it’s my way of giving back to a community that has given so much to me.”
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Originally published as Federal election 2025: LNP candidate Jeremy Neal on campaign progress without Warren Entsch
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