The shadow treasurer was in Warrnambool yesterday to meet with Peter's Project members to hear their calls for an integrated cancer care centre and to campaign for the Liberal Party in the lead-up to this year's federal poll.

Mr Hockey told The Standard yesterday that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's decision to postpone his push for an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) until 2013 showed the Federal Government lacked conviction.

The former employment minister once supported the ETS but claims the federal government's model is flawed.

"The ETS isn't dead and buried," he said.

"Major economic powers such as the United States and China could not agree at Copenhagen (climate change forum) on the best way forward to tackle climate change yet the Rudd government were keen to press on with it regardless.

"Kevin Rudd has claimed that climate change is the biggest moral challenge of our time yet he has backtracked ahead of the election."

Mr Hockey met with Peter's Project committee members including former Warrnambool mayor Glenys Phillpot at St John of God Health Care yesterday to discuss their push for an integrated cancer care centre.

Peter's Project founder Vicki Jellie said Mr Hockey was concerned about the lack of cancer care in the region and claimed that other locations had been given preferential treatment.

"Joe was surprised by the unequal distribution of cancer care across the state," Mrs Jellie said.

"He encouraged us to make some noise and to really keep on pressuring the government."

Mr Hockey will drive along the Princes Highway back to Geelong today to witness first-hand the condition of the region's main link to Melbourne.

There have been calls in the community for several years for the highway to be duplicated between Colac and Waurn Ponds although both the Rudd and Howard governments have not given the stretch of road Auslink status which enables federal funding.

"I'll certainly get a feel for what the highway is like when I'm driving back to Warrnambool. Road infrastructure is something that the federal government has really been quite weak on, especially in regional Australia."

Mr Hockey also met business leaders last night at a Club Warrnambool function and later addressed Liberals at a party function held at the Warrnambool Golf Club.

asinnott@standard.f airfax.com.au