Labor candidate for Leichhardt Matt Smith says he believes the race is on to claim “underdog status” in the fight for the vast electorate and has applauded the efforts of retiring MP Warren Entsch after 26 years representing the region. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
The candidate aiming to turn Leichhardt red for Labor says he wants to be a part of Cape York’s future as the race to claim “underdog status” in the race for the gargantuan electorate begins to heat up.
Former Cairns Taipan Matt Smith told Cape York Weekly he was enjoying life in the political arena, adding early doorknocking and constituent engagement had provided him with a better understanding of what was important to Leichhardt voters.
“Well, I don’t think they (political parties) ever tell you what to expect, really,” he laughed.
“They just kind of wind you up and let you go; no, look, it’s a grind, it’s a lot of hard work, but you get to meet a lot of people, and you find that most people are trying to do their best with their little patch of the world to make their little area better.
“Doorknocking has been very rewarding in that sense, [but] it can be challenging, because you don’t know what the other person on the other side of the door’s experiencing – they might have the best day of their life or the worst day of their life, and then a giant man shows up and wants to talk to them about politics.”
With the wet season in full swing, Mr Smith acknowledged an exhaustive campaign on Cape York and in the Torres Strait was probably not going to be possible as the country waits on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to call the election.
“The wet season presents challenges for the Cape every year … so it will be a lot of flying I guess, which is not my preferred method of getting around [up there],” he said.
“I think it’s important to drive to truly understand the distances and understand the challenges that locals face up there.
“We’re going to try to get to as many communities as we can; we did get up to the Cape towards the end of last year, but we were unable to get into some communities just due to the horrific amount of sorry business that’s been going on, but we definitely plan on getting back up there around the NPA, and I’m trying desperately to get back to Weipa.”
With more candidates expected to emerge in coming weeks, Mr Smith said there would be a battle to claim underdog status, and gave a nod to retiring Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch, who is hanging up his political hat after 26 years.
“I think there’ll be a race for underdog status, as there always is in these sort of things,” he said.
“The reality is that the LNP come in with a 4 per cent advantage here, and it has been an LNP seat, notionally, for the better part of 30 years.
“It’s naive to suggest that Warren’s not a part of that; you know, he’s got a massive personal following, and he’s done some really great work up the Cape and in the Torres Strait, as well as in Cairns; he has been a fantastic representative for a long time.
“It’s going to be a tough fight.
“Communities know the answer to their own problems, so I’m not necessarily meant to show up with the answers, but I need to be able to get there and they can say to me ‘hey, this is what we think’ and then I have to find where that fits in a broader spectrum to make that happen for them.”
Mr Smith said he believed the Cape York region had a bright future and that he was committed to being a part of it if voters gave him the tick of approval when they headed to the ballot box.
“I am so impressed by the potential and the people of the Cape,” he said.
“It is a stunning and fantastic part of the world, and I think that there are untapped opportunities there, in tourism, in resources, in manufacturing, that we should get behind, and I really want to be a part of the future of Cape York.”
