A partial transcript of what Tony Abbot said when questioned in Townsville.. QUESTION: What’s the Coalition's proposal for some of the insurance burden in N. Qld, some of the highest premiums up here in Northern Australia? TONY ABBOTT: Look this is a really tough issue, it is a really important one for the people of N. Qld, and I absolutely appreciate that, and in the last few years in the wake of some savage cyclones, insurance premiums have gone up and up and up for people in N. Qld. Scarcely a party room meeting goes by without Ewen Jones or Warren Entsch or George Christensen getting up and talking about this issue, as they should. The point of being a local member of Parliament is to stick up for the interests of your people, and the great thing about all of these guys who are in my team, Ewen and Warren and George, is that they aren't Canberra's men in North Queensland, they are N. Queenslanders and Far N. Queenslanders in Canberra fighting for a better deal for N. Queensland.