Former Cairns Taipan player Matt Smith (centre), pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the 2024 Cairns Show, has been unveiled as Labor’s candidate for the federal seat of Leichhardt. Photo: Supplied.
Labor has selected a former professional basketballer to try to win the federal seat of Leichhardt for the first time in almost two decades.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Cairns on 19 July to announce the party had chosen former Cairns Taipans player Matt Smith to contest the electorate, which will be desperate for new leadership following the looming retirement of veteran MP Warren Entsch.
Mr Entsch has confirmed he will not seek a tenth election win when voters choose a new federal government in 2025, and offered a tongue-in-cheek suggestion for those aspiring to replace him.
“If you can grab my staff, they’re going to make you look as good as you can ever be,” he laughed.
“You’ve got to be with the people; don’t disregard them, irrespective of what you think – do your best to find a solution.”
Labor has not held Leichhardt since 2007, when Jim Turnour claimed the vast electorate following Mr Entsch’s first retirement, only to lose the seat when the outspoken politician returned to the political fold three years later.
Mr Albanese told ABC Far North he believed Mr Smith would prove to be a “worthy successor” to Mr Entsch.
“[H]e’s a champion, not just on the court, but off the court as well,” the Prime Minister said.
“He’s someone who’s devoted his life to making a difference here, and he’s gone into just about every school and into communities, providing support for young people, encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
“I’ve seen the way that he engages with people; he’s someone who’s warm, he’s someone who’s really smart, he’s someone who has integrity, he’s someone who can really relate to people, and he’ll be such a strong advocate; he’s a voice which is well known to people in this community.”
It is understood food and water security, and cost of living concerns will be Mr Smith’s main campaign platforms.
He said his career on the court had fostered a strong sense of community that was driving his candidacy.
“The Cairns Taipans brought me here two decades ago; my time with them gave me a sense of community pride that has never faded,” he said.
“I have raised my family here, found my partner here; Far North Queensland is my home [and] it is through my work that takes me across Far North Queensland that I have seen the pressure families are under.
“I want to be part of the team that is delivering a tax cut to every taxpayer, that is ensuring people are earning more and keeping more of what they earn, and that is delivering a future made here.”
