KEVIN RUDD continued emphasising Labor's environmental credentials while also appealing to voters in far north Queensland by announcing a $200 million plan to work with farmers to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Mr Rudd said a Labor government would use $146 million from the Federal Government's natural heritage trust to help farmers and landowners reduce the amount of nutrients being washed into the ocean along the reef.

Another $54 million from the trust would be spent on improved monitoring of water quality, research grants to scientists and expanding local marine protection programs.

Mr Rudd said climate change and rising ocean temperatures along with declining water quality were the two most significant environmental threats to the Reef.

He said the Howard Government had promised in 2003 to provide $300 million to address the impact of sediments being washed off the land into waters surrounding the reef but had never delivered this funding.

Labor's $146 million would provide grants to farmers and their organisations for projects to improve land management and nutrient retention practices.

The projects would be worked out with local farming and industry organisations who would be asked to match the funding.

Mr Rudd made the announcement at Green Island off Cairns with his environment spokesman, Peter Garrett, and his shadow primary industries minister, Kerry O'Brien.

Cairns is in the seat of Leichhardt which is held by the Liberal Party on a margin of 10.3 per cent. Labor hopes to make inroads in Leichhardt because the popular sitting MP Warren Entsch is retiring and the November 24 election will see a three-way contest between the ALP, the Liberals and the Nationals.

Labor insiders believe that if Mr Rudd cannot do well in far north Queensland then his broader strategy of winning a significant number of seats in Queensland will be in trouble.

The Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said Labor was playing catch-up.

Mr Turnbull said the natural heritage trust had already helped to protect 180,000 hectares of land across reef catchment areas and the Government had announced 20 projects to protect water quality in August.