KEY seats in the Far North could decide which party claims victory in the upcoming state election, putting local voters in position to install a government that offers the best deal for the region.

Three of the Bligh Government’s most marginal seats are in the Far North, making the region a priority for both major parties as they scramble to win over voters.

Latest opinion polls give the LNP the upper hand over Labor, but political experts say both parties have a tough battle ahead of them.

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Professor of public policy at Australian Catholic University, Prof Scott Prasser, said the LNP needed to snare seats in the Far North just as badly as Labor needed to keep them.

"Premier Anna Bligh and Labor have got to resist the LNP in every battlefield, so the campaign is going to be a hard one," Prof Prasser said.

"I think there will be some seat changes in Far North Queensland because the swing towards the LNP is on."

Even a modest swing towards the LNP would see the Opposition seize power in marginal seats such as Cairns, Barron River and Cook.

But Prof Prasser said neither party could afford to be complacent about Far Northern electorates.

"If the LNP doesn’t win Barron River, they might as well pack up and go home, and Labor has marginal seats like Cook and Cairns that they really need to hang on to."

Far Northern voters have called on the political parties to take a tougher stance on crime, commit more money to health care, and help bring an end to the region’s economic doldrums.

"Given the challenges the business community has faced in recent times, the election campaign of all political parties will be scrutinised by businesses over the coming eight weeks," Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland Far Northern chairman Brett Moller said.

The high value of Far Northern seats was made clear during the Premier’s election announcement in Brisbane yesterday, when she singled out the LNP’s Cairns candidate, Gavin King, as "unsuitable" for State Parliament.

Mr King brushed off the Premier’s remarks, saying the Bligh Government was "desperate" and he expected "a very dirty, despicable, down-in-the-gutter" campaign from Labor.

"They will do absolutely anything, as we’ve seen, to keep hold of this seat," Mr King said yesterday.

Prof Prasser predicted Katter’s Australian Party stood a better chance of scoring votes in the Far North than in any other part of the state.

But he said the fledgling party had probably chosen the wrong election to enter the political landscape.

"The choices in this election are strong and stark – Campbell Newman or Anna Bligh – and I think it’s hard to start a minor party in a climate where people are going to choose one party or another," he said.

The official campaign won’t start until February 19, when Ms Bligh visits Governor Penelope Wensley and requests the election writs to be issued.

The unprecedented move to announce an election date before officially dissolving the Parliament gives the Bligh Government almost another month in power before the Government goes into caretaker mode.

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