Member for Cairns, Michael Healy, vows to hold new premier David Crisafulli to account
A returning Far North MP will play a key role in critiquing the new Crisafulli government, as Labor contemplates life in opposition for the first time in almost a decade.
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A returning Far North MP will play a key role in critiquing the new Crisafulli government, with tourism a key focus, as Labor contemplates life in opposition for the first time in almost a decade.
Incumbent Michael Healy withstood a crime-centric campaign from the LNP’s Yolonde Entsch to emerge victorious on Saturday night despite an estimated 2.9 per cent swing to the Coalition.
But the former tourism minister wasted little time in taking aim at the premier-elect, David Crisafulli, who is set to also serve as the state’s tourism minister.
“What David Crisafulli knows about tourism, you could chisel on the back of an aspro,” Mr Healy said last week.
“The tourism industry needs strong representation. We know it’s a significant employer. If you look at the Great Barrier Reef, there are over 60,000 people employed (in reef tourism).
“There are hundreds of millions of dollars invested, billions turned over. It is one of the key economic drivers for investment for our region.”
Mr Healy blasted the LNP’s decision not to match a $10m Labor election commitment to boost international and domestic visitors to the region through Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) in the lead-up to the election.
“My job will be to hold this government to account,” he said.
“They haven’t said anything about tourism, which is a huge industry that’s doing it tough.
“Our international visitor numbers aren’t back to where they were in 2019. They’re the ones that attract investors.
“I can’t help but wonder what the industry is thinking. I’m at a loss as to what they’re going to do.”
From the outset, the ALP appeared determined to maintain its stronghold on the Far North, and in particular Cairns.
The premier visited the region four times while on the hustings with the party even taking the unusual step of launching its campaign in Portsmith late last month.
“The Labor party has thrown absolutely everything at the seat of Cairns,” Ms Entsch said on the eve of the election.
“I was never under any illusion that it would be an easy fight.
“We’ve held this seat once in 120 years. We ran a grassroots campaign and worked as hard as we could.”
In turn, the Coalition kept the heat up on crime, with candidates and visiting shadow ministers calling out Labor’s spotty record across the last decade in power.
In September, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli joined candidates in Cairns to announce a proposal to introduce tough new laws that would make a child’s criminal record admissible during sentencing as an adult.
Curbing youth crime remained the city’s biggest challenge, Ms Entsch said.
“We’ve had a young group of people for five five days, I’ve been told, that are stealing cars,” she said.
“It’s the single biggest issue that is impacting people in Cairns.”
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