Qld: Policies for the kids at end of campaign's first week

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2006
Qld: Policies for the kids at end of campaign's first week

By Sonja Koremans

BRISBANE, Aug 19 AAP - Election promises that focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle
for children marked the fourth day of the Queensland election campaign.

Labor Premier Peter Beattie and his opponent coalition leader Lawrence Springborg took
their child-centred message to the streets of Brisbane in Labor heartland seats on opposite
sides of the city.

And both said they would back their promises to promote a leaner lifestyle for children
with cash.

Mr Beattie promised $150,000 over three years to teach children how to fish. He also
promised grants of $250,000 to encourage rural property owners to provide facilities for
trail bike riders and campers.

While he was campaigning in the seat of Cleveland, the premier took the opportunity
to rule out a ban on recreational fishing in Brisbane's Moreton Bay as well as promising
to allocate more state land for trail bike riding.

Meanwhile, Mr Springborg said that exercise and sports would be compulsory for Queensland
school children under a coalition government.

Campaigning in the seat of Kallangur, he said there would be fewer overweight children
and children with drug problems if he was elected.

A coalition government would commit $2 million a year towards anti-drug and nutrition
education in schools, he said.

Under his "mandatory physical activity" policy, minimum activity would be 20 to 30
minutes a day for children from Year 1 to Year 3 and 150 minutes a week for children in
Year 4 and upwards, he said.

But children can breath easy for a while - a Galaxy Research Poll shows 53 per cent
of respondents prefer the Labor government on a two-party preferred basis.

That's a better result for Labor than showed in a poll released a week ago which gave
the government just 49 per cent and the coalition 51 per cent.

AAP sjk/arb/sd

KEYWORD: POLL QLD NIGHTLEAD

) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.