The prime minister has embarked on a whirlwind tour of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia ahead of the official start of the federal election, which is due by late May.
Home to a handful of knife's-edge electorates, Queensland remains a crucial political asset and Labor is keeping a close eye on the seat of Leichhardt in the state's north, held by retiring Liberal National MP Warren Entsch on a 3.4 per cent margin.
Anthony Albanese is visiting key seats in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. (Russell Freeman/AAP PHOTOS)
And when Mr Albanese began his day in Rockhampton, on Queensland's central coast, he did not pull his punches as he lashed the opposition leader.
"If Peter Dutton ever gets his hands on the levers of the economy, (people) will be worse off," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"Under Labor, we will continue to build Australia's future, under the coalition, we will go backwards ... and things will cost more."
Labor has renewed its offensive against the coalition's $330 billion bid to set up seven nuclear reactors, with a particular focus on the consequences it could have for the sunshine state.
Analysis released by Labor shows the coalition's plan assumes it will cost Queensland more than $872 billion in lost output by 2050.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Mr Dutton's "economic madness" would leave Queensland households worse off.
Ten facts Peter Dutton and right wing commentators don't want you to know about progress in the Australian economy under — Jim Chalmers MP (@JEChalmers) @AustralianLabor: #1 Inflation is lower. #auspol #ausecon pic.twitter.com/ZWEDL8zjB4January 6, 2025
"As a Queenslander, I won't sit back and watch Peter Dutton push energy prices up and growth down right across the state," he said.
"Peter Dutton is the biggest risk to household budgets and Australia's economy because he wants to push up power prices, slow growth and come after wages and Medicare."
Federal shadow treasurer Angus Taylor said the greatest hit to Queensland's economy was a Labor government.
"The thing that's made the economy smaller is Labor ... not the lower cost of electricity, which is what our plan will deliver," he told ABC radio.
"They can make up all the nonsense they like, they're desperate."
Later in the day, the prime minister will head north to Cairns and before travelling west to Mount Isa.
Fresh polling released by Roy Morgan shows if an election was held now, the coalition would win with a two-party preferred vote of 53 per cent to Labor's 47 per cent.
Interest-rate pain has impacted support for the Labor government ahead of a federal election. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)
Primary support for the coalition has dropped slightly to 40.5 per cent while Labor's primary vote increased to 31 per cent.
While Australia is not immune to the global factors influencing inflation, the prime minister noted his government had avoided any quarters of negative growth and created a million jobs.
"Things are heading in the right direction, but we understand and are certainly not complacent about it," he said.
Mr Albanese visited Gympie, north of the Sunshine Coast, on Monday to announce $7.2 billion in funding to upgrade the 1600km-long Bruce Highway.
Federal coalition members said the pledge showed Mr Albanese only cared about Queensland's regional infrastructure when an election was looming.
But the prime minister said the announcement was "about the national interest in doing the right thing".
