Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten gear up for first day of election campaign

The battle is on and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten aren’t wasting any time, heading to Queensland to drum up votes before July 2.

Both parties are fighting to hold onto their seats in the state and are expected to hit the ground running as they try to charm the crowds and win over voters.

Mr Shorten will likely make an announcement on education, one of the main issues Labor will campaign on.

“I will fight this election to make Australia a fairer place, where the needs of families, small businesses, the great bulk of Australians, are placed at the top of the priority list,” the Labor leader said yesterday.

He nominated schools, Medicare and climate change as Labor’s key concerns.

“Will this country be a country that ensures that the fair go is for everyone, or that the fair go is just limited to the fortunate few?” Mr Shorten asked.

The Liberal Party has already started its on-air campaign with a television ad streaming around the country last night.

The advertisement the party’s push for a stronger economy and jobs growth.

Mr Turnbull highlighted similar issues when he announced the July 2 election yesterday.

“At this election Australians will have a very clear choice,” he said.

“To keep the course, maintain the commitment to our national economic plan for growth and jobs, or go back to Labor, with its higher-taxing, higher-spending, debt and deficit agenda, which will stop our nation’s transition to the new economy dead in its tracks,” Mr Turnbull said.

There is no word yet on when either party will address the issues close to many senior Australians’ hearts – health care, the pension age and superannuation.

Who will you be voting for? What issues do you think both parties need to address first?