Anthony Albanese has headed deep into Queensland coal country, with his regional tour reaching Rockhampton.
The federal opposition leader has pitched his trip as an endorsement of coal mining and exports.
He repeated his calls for the Indian resources giant Adani to deliver on the jobs it said would come from its controversial Carmichael mine.
"It has been approved. They need to proceed with creating the jobs that will come from that project," he told media on Wednesday.
But Nationals leader Michael McCormack was not convinced.
"It's all well and good for him to come out and say he supports the resources sector. Does he do it unequivocally? I'm not so sure," Mr McCormack told reporters in Mackay on Wednesday.
"Does the rest of his party have the same unqualified support? I doubt that."
Nationals frontbenchers have spent several days hurling insults at Mr Albanese and challenging him to say the three words: "I support Adani."
When asked on Wednesday whether he supported mining jobs, Mr Albanese said he supported all jobs.
"What we have here is a government that wants to play little games, because they're not getting on with doing anything," he said.
Mr Albanese said the government needed to do more to improve wages and conditions for mining workers, who he said were being ripped off by the casualisation of the workforce in the sector.
His four-day trip is an attempted "reset" after Labor was wiped out in Queensland at the federal election in May.
Mr Albanese wants to focus on advanced manufacturing, hydrogen, lithium, copper and solar as job-creating technologies to ensure future work for Queenslanders.
His tour is also set to hit Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Maryborough on Thursday.
Australian Associated Press
