Bon Jovi has provided the soundtrack for Queensland's popular opposition leader to rock the regions ahead of the state election.
Backed by the certified triple-platinum '80s anthem Livin' on a Prayer, David Crisafulli set out on Monday in search of some rock star treatment in the far north as he launched his countdown to Saturday's poll.
But he was short of a hit with Premier Steven Miles, who labelled the Liberal National Party leader a "dill" following his latest health announcement.
Mr Crisafulli has been on song ahead of the election, with polling indicating he will end Labor's nine-year reign and become the next premier.
But the LNP leader is still determined to launch a regional tour de force this week in his bid to take centre stage.
His first stop on Monday was Townsville, where the LNP hopes to make major inroads in Labor-held seats.
Mr Crisafulli joined LNP colleagues and supporters for some road-side campaigning with Bon Jovi blaring along with another song that appeared more apt: Katrina and the Waves' Walking on Sunshine.
However the LNP leader only got shade from Mr Miles after announcing kindergarten kids would receive free vision, hearing and speech checks if elected, with re-testing in years one, three and five if developmental issues were identified.
Mr Crisafulli called it a "game changer", saying the early health intervention could also help kids avoid a life of crime.
But Labor claimed the LNP's $27.5 million commitment was a cheap cover version of its own $500 million health policy that would deliver eight different checks - including sight, speech and hearing - to young Queenslanders.
"The bloke's a dill. He reckons you can say anything and get away with saying anything," Mr Miles said of the opposition leader.
The premier also had his sights set on regional areas on Monday, pledging $5.2 million for a new mobile Royal Flying Doctor Service dental clinic to Cape York if elected.
The funding would go towards building a new truck with accommodation for staff to increase access to dental care across the far northern region.
It wasn't just kids' health care on the agenda as both leaders faced questions on public sector pay rises, with the threat of union strike action if they weren't delivered.
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King has called on both parties to commit to higher pay rises than the budgeted 2.5 per cent per year across the next four years.
Mr Miles committed to bargaining in good faith with the unions if elected but would not be swayed on whether a bigger pay rise was on the horizon for public sector workers.
"We have consistently resolved excellent enterprise bargaining agreements for those workers," he said.
Mr Crisafulli also committed to negotiating in good faith.
"I commit to ... making sure frontline staff understand they deserve to be well paid and I see the high attrition rates, and there is a real need to make sure we retain the best we have and attract the best of the future," he said.
About 20 per cent of Queenslanders have already voted - some 770,000 people.
Mr Miles is making ground on his rival as preferred premier according to the latest polling, sitting at 36 per cent just behind Mr Crisafulli's 37 per cent.
But the LNP still leads the incumbent Labor government 55 to 45 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis, according to News Corp polling.
It would no doubt be music to Mr Crisafulli's ears.
