On Tuesday this week, Mr Abbott came up to the Cairns region on the campaign trail to announce his $92 million tourism campaign plans and funding. 

However Mr Abbott's trip got somewhat overshadowed by the breaking story over Joe Hockey, his shadow treasurer's latest land purchase.

LNP Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey just recently bought an additional 40.7 hectares of prime cattle land in Diamondvale, near Malanda. This land adjoins Mr Hockey's existing Platypus Park, a 160ha working farm, which he has owned and upon which he has run 300 head of cattle for a number of years.

According to his office, this latest purchase is part of an expansion plan for his farm.

This latest land package purchase seems to have unearthed an earlier situation which appears to have landed Mr Hockey in a little hot water. It has been reported that he and his wife set up a farm accommodation business at their original Malanda cattle farm just two days before he launched a taxpayer-funded ad campaign for farmstays when he was tourism and small business minister back in May 2004. 

And it turns out Mr Hockey didn't declare that he was setting up the farmstay business when he launched the government-backed promotional campaign for farmstays.

Mr Hockey listed the property as a cattle farm on the register 18 months later.  Mr Hockey has however derived income from the Malanda property from farm and rental income.

Mr Hockey initially claimed the launch of the Farm and Country Tourism Kit was well before he started the business but Australian Securities and Investment Commission records show it was May 3rd and May 1st respectively.

According to Mr Hockey the kit was not government funded, he had just launched it.

However the original press release read: The kit was developed by the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism in Queensland "using funding from the Australian government through the regional tourism program".

However you read into the timings, the Labor Government seized on the opportunity to try to overshadow Mr Abbott's visit and undermine his key tourism announcements.

Mr Hockey reacted angrily to these revelations and accused Labor of running a "smear campaign".

Joe Hockey visited Port Douglas last year at the invitation of the Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce where he stressed the importance of increased tourism funding for this region.

It will be interesting to hear what current election candidates Jim Turnour and Warren Entsch have to say on this subject at the next Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce this coming Thursday at the Wildlife Habitat between 5pm to 7pm. Just click on advert on right to get your tickets.