Crikey

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey kicked off the Coalition’s election campaign efforts in Queensland at the start of this week, leading a media strategy by the Opposition which focuses on local media and local campaigns.

In a campaign reminiscent of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s love for the state’s local media, Hockey and his colleagues spent the first days of the election campaign in the key Queensland seats of Flynn (Labor by 2.2%), Dawson (Labor by 2.6%), Herbert (Labor by 0.03%) and Kennedy, held comfortably by Independent Bob Katter.

Not to be outdone, the Labor Party has also put a strong showing in the state, with Prime Minister Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan kicking off their campaign there over the weekend.

Talking to the Australian Financial Review (paywalled), Mr Hockey explained the Coalition’s local media strategy, describing the national election coverage as a ‘frenzy’ about which the Australian public were becoming increasingly cynical:

“It’s just too much: it’s journalists interviewing journalists, and everyone’s a commentator. On the ground they want to see real people. And it’s the issues that matter.”

Crikey will be profiling local media in each state to gain a snapshot of “the issues that matter.” To kick our coverage off, we took a look at regional Queensland issues as seen by the local media.

Last Thursday Hockey visited Gladstone, telling locals that rising costs of living was the biggest challenge facing Australians.

On Saturday, Mr Hockey visited the ALS Minerals plant in Townsville to talk to workers about the Minerals Resource Rent Tax. And of course, no visit to a minerals plant is complete without a photo opportunity with a newborn:

The Townsville Bulletin, Saturday 17th July

Employment has been a key theme in Mr Hockey’s local campaign, with a simple soundbite to Queenslanders: “jobs, jobs, jobs”:

The Cairns Post, Monday 19th July

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gillard relished the opportunity for some family friendly photos in the Brisbane suburb of Chermside over the weekend:

The Gold Coast Bulletin, Monday 19th July

On Monday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard was able to impress at least one family, by enjoying a cake and a cuppa, and staying for longer than ‘15 minutes’:

The Courier Mail, Tuesday 20 July

And now that the politicians and their entourages have left the sunshine state, the local Queensland media have taken Julia Gillard’s advice and moved forward, with federal parliamentarians noticeably absent from their front pages this morning:

Meanwhile, former prime minister Kevin Rudd will head to a Brisbane school today to start his campaign in his seat of Griffith. Given Rudd’s snug relationship with local media outlets, Crikey expects a wealth of grassroots campaigning by the local member for Griffith. Watch this space.