THE LNP's candidate for Cairns has bold ideas for the city's future - but Tony Abbott has promised only to listen to pleas to fund them.

The Federal Opposition Leader visited Cairns to announce his party's national tourism policy yesterday. But asked if a Coalition government would fund the performing arts centre or sports projects proposed by LNP Leichhardt candidate Warren Entsch, Mr Abbott said he didn’t want to make "unrealistic promises".

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In what Leichhardt Labor MP Jim Turnour branded "the snub of a lifetime", Mr Abbott committed no money for Far Northern projects beyond $100,000 for a Smithfield water park.

"Obviously I will listen to Warren's pleas, but the best thing that I could do for the people of Cairns is to run a competent Government," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Entsch has said he wants to create "a whole new industry" of sports tourism in Cairns through projects such as a 20,000-seat rectangular football field, Olympic-standard hockey and tennis facilities and a pool refurbishment.

Labor has promised $40 million towards a performing arts centre as the first stage of the Cairns Cultural Precinct.

Mr Entsch has said he supports a performing arts centre by the convention centre, but not the broader $241 million precinct proposal.

Mr Abbott said Labor's "spending spree" made fiscal responsibility his priority and promising funds for infrastructure difficult, but described the cultural precinct as "an important long-term ambition for Cairns".

Mr Turnour said Mr Abbott had disappointed the community.

"Poor old Warren had to stand next to Mr Abbott as each of his plans were publicly disowned," Mr Turnour said. "What Tony Abbott has done today is arrive in Cairns, disappointed the local community, given a kick in the guts to confidence, given a kick in the guts to thousands of jobs if he is elected."

Mr Entsch said he had talked to Mr Abbott about his vision after yesterday's press conference, and Mr Abbott had liked his ideas.

"But I didn't say I had a promise - I said I could spend a quarter of a billion dollars a damn sight better (than on the cultural precinct)," Mr Entsch said

"What he (Mr Abbott) said about fiscal responsibility is something that I absolutely and unconditionally support."

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