Gillard campaign picks up pace

Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

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PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has returned to Brisbane with more than $1 billion for mental health and a long-awaited rail link, setting a rapid pace to boost a flagging campaign.

Eleven days into the election, Ms Gillard was back in Queensland, where she has spent half her campaign, with a $277 million package on suicide prevention and $742 million for the Moreton Bay Rail Link, which takes in the marginal seats of Longman, Petrie and Dickson.

Labor is worried about an electoral backlash in the sunshine state because of the party's dumping of hometown boy Kevin Rudd as prime minister, as well as the unpopular state Labor government.

After coming under fire for running a slow and stage-managed early campaign, Ms Gillard picked up the pace on Tuesday.

Last week her engagements were often over by lunchtime, but on Tuesday she made two significant announcements, held a one-hour press conference, gave two speeches and conducted two lengthy radio interviews.

The prime minister floundered early in the day when she stumbled on the timing of Labor's company tax cuts.

However, she brushed it off as a result of her robust exchange with veteran broadcaster Alan Jones.

"I had a typical Alan Jones interview," she explained to reporters.

Ms Gillard had her head around the figures as she unveiled the most significant spending of the campaign so far.

She denied the funding of the Moreton Bay line was pork-barrelling, though it appears certain to help Labor's re-election chances in Petrie, held by Yvette D'Ath, and Jon Sullivan's seat of Longman.

It could also help Labor oust shadow health minister Peter Dutton in the seat of Dickson.

"We're talking about a project that has come to a stage where it's the right stage to fund it," Ms Gillard told reporters.

The prime minister was dismissive of concerns that the rail link - which has been promised before in the heat of an election campaign - would never come to pass.

"I say what I mean, and I deliver what I promise," she pledged.

Her other big investment of the day was nearly $300 million to cut the suicide rate.

Around 2000 Australians kill themselves each year and nearly three-quarters of them are men.

Funding will go towards a host of measures, including counselling for an extra 12,500 people, expanding services like Lifeline Australia and putting barriers in suicide hotspots like Sydney's notorious The Gap.

Labor is attempting to turn around a view that it has neglected the issue in government but Ms Gillard wouldn't commit to further spending on the issue during the campaign, even though mental health campaigners remain dissatisfied with the level of government action.

"I understand there is more to do in mental health," she said.

"I want to make mental health a second-term agenda for the government ... but we need to make sure of course that when we are making announcements we are not changing the budget bottom line. We do need to make choices."

She revealed the suicide prevention strategy at the Brisbane Convention Centre, in Mr Rudd's seat of Griffith, though he didn't appear on the guest list.

She waved away questions about her relationship with Mr Rudd, again promising to campaign in his seat if asked.

Her relationship with another man in her life was also in the spotlight.

Ms Gillard confirmed her live-in partner Tim Mathieson would take up residence at the Lodge, in Canberra, or Kirribilli House, in Sydney, if she won government.

"Tim and I live together," she told ABC radio.

"Wherever I live, he will live."

They would be the first de facto couple to live in the prime ministerial residences.

Ms Gillard wouldn't say whether there was a chance they might tie the knot instead.

"Decisions about me getting married are not just made by me," she said.

"(And) decisions in my personal life are personal."