Election Tracker: Day 23

Another day down and, as we draw ever closer to polling day, the voting has begun. Julia Gillard began her day in Perth yesterday, where she announced performance-based bonuses for teachers and schools, before flying to Adelaide to appear on television. Tony Abbott was in Brisbane, where he enjoyed the festivities of the Ekka. Meanwhile, Julia Bishop was in Darwin, where she was hugging cane toads instead of babies as a part of a toad eradication program.

So, after 23 days of sound economic management, Julia Gillard’s Cash Bonus Coterie has finally wrested back the Tracker lead with an astounding 32,389km, while Tony Abbott’s Ken Henry Tax Revue is still in it with 31,049km. Together, the pair have travelled 63,438km — the equivalent of more than 422 million cane toads.

Gillard:

• Julia Gillard was in the seat of Canning in Perth yesterday, where she announced schools and teachers will be given cash incentives under a rewards program to improve teaching. The $388 million program would offer $100,000 for secondary schools and $75,000 for primary schools that show improvement in student learning. Labor also plans to give a 10% salary bonus to the top 10% of teachers in 2013. “What drives wealth in a nation? Participation and productivity. What gives you the edge in participation and productivity? It’s your investments in human capital,” said Gillard.

• Gillard then flew to Adelaide to take part in a solo appearance on ABC TV’s Q&A. The PM was questioned on her accent, her red hair, as well as the Building the Education Revolution program, tax policy and climate change and the dumping of Kevin Rudd.

Abbott:

• Tony Abbott made an appearance at the Ekka in Brisbane yesterday, where he mingled with the Country Women’s Association, checked out the wood-chopping competition and sampled some of the show’s culinary delights (no word if a dagwood dog was consumed). There were no policy announcements from the opposition leader, who instead preferred to enjoy the festivities of the annual Brisbane show.

• Tony Abbott also touted that tax cuts were on the agenda, stating a Coalition government would try and implement the Ken Henry recommendation that the company tax rate be brought down to 25% when the budget returns to surplus.

Hockey/Swan:

• Joe Hockey and Wayne Swan were at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, where they took part in a debate on the economy. Swan and Hockey both disputed the impact of the government’s stimulus spending during the feisty stoushe, which saw Hockey stumble over the amount spent by the Coalition during the campaign. Reactions to the debate were mixed, with most quarters saying the result was too close to call.

Latham Watch:

• Mark Latham continues to take pot shots at the Labor Party, this time accusing the Julia Gillard of making their much-publicised meeting physical. “I haven’t been stroked down the front from a woman other than my wife for quite some time actually.” Meanwhile, Gillard took a shot back yesterday when she was asked by a Q&A audience member how big a “tool” Latham was on a scale of 1 to 10. ”There are some things that can’t be measured,” she said.

Cane Toad Watch:

• Julie Bishop was in Darwin yesterday, where it was cane toads instead of babies for the deputy opposition leader. “Why is it that most politicians get to hold babies and I get to hold a cane toad?” said Bishop.

Quotable:

• “We just need a spark to ignite the fuse.” — Queensland independent MP Bob Katter supports north Queensland becoming its own state.

Where they are today:

• Julia Gillard is staying close to home for a water policy announcement in Adelaide later today. The Advertiser says their “RIVER QUEEN” will commit to “buying back all the water required to save the River Murray”.
• Tony Abbott is also staking a claim in his home town, in Sydney to unveil the Coalition’s broadband internet policy (the communications minister, shadow and Greens spokesperson will debate broadband at the National Press Club at 12:30pm). There’s also a business event at Randwick racecourse for Abbott later today.
• Bob Brown is in Queensland out Toowoomba way, but will head back to the big smoke later today for a marine parks policy announcement in Brisbane.

What is the tracker?

Crikey tracks each leader’s amazing race across the country via our Election Tracker. Each day we’ll plot the leaders’ movements, feeding in the key policy announcements and spending commitments, the best media coverage and social media chat, plus the campaign stunts and bloopers. You can also use the tracker as a hub for the best Crikey coverage.

Click on the tabs across the top to watch how many kilometres Gillard and Abbott have clocked up, the movements of other key players and finally our bloopers and stunts bonanza on the right. You can click on each stop to see what they’re up to, with links to extended coverage and detailed electorate information.