Morrison flew to Nowra on Sunday afternoon after announcing the election in Canberra, targeting the marginal seat of Gilmore which is held by Labor on a slim 2.6 per cent margin.

The region was one of the hardest hit by the Black Summer bushfires in 2019/20, with recovery then stalled due to the pandemic.

Former NSW minister Andrew Constance – who attracted national attention for his response during the fires – is hoping to win the seat back for the Liberals from Labor’s Fiona Phillips.

Morrison will announce $40 million worth of local road upgrades across the Shoalhaven region as he sells his government’s economic credentials.

“Australia’s economic recovery is leading the world, and investments like this, right here in the Shoalhaven, will keep creating local jobs and drive our record low unemployment rate down,” he said.

As an opinion poll recorded a slight lift in support for him as preferred prime minister, Morrison sought to talk up the record of his government.

“The character of our government has been proven in the results we’ve achieved, coming through this pandemic saving thousands of lives,” he told the Nine Network on Monday.

“Not everybody agrees with everything I’ve done, and not everybody will necessarily like me, but what they will know is that when we faced this crisis, we ploughed through with the right plan.”

Albanese took his travelling contingent to Tasmania after the starting gun was fired as he prepared to campaign in the Liberal-held seat of Bass, spruiking Labor’s mantra of a better future.

He said the government was out of ideas and out of time.

“They always react too little, too late … this is a government led by a prime minister which never takes responsibility, always looks to blame someone else,” he told ABC TV.

“I’m the only candidate for prime minister who is trying to form government in their own right, we’ve seen the mess that is the modern coalition, with chaos within the National Party, chaos within the Liberal Party.”

Bass is held on a 0.4 per cent margin by outspoken backbencher Bridget Archer, who crossed the floor against the government over a federal integrity commission and is one of the moderates who spoke out against parts of the government’s religious discrimination bill.

Labor will use the first full day of the campaign to announce better care for children with hearing loss, pledging $1.5 million to fund the development of the digital HearHub platform, an online service that will deliver hearing tests and support for families.

It will also establish two new Shepherd Centres, which run the platform, in Launceston and Hobart with $2.5 million of funding behind them.

“Kids with hearing loss deserve the best possible start in life and the best possible care and support – no matter where they live,” Albanese said.

“A Labor government will ensure our kids are looked after, whether through digital or on-the-ground support services. No child will be left behind.”

The latest Newspoll indicates Mr Morrison has pulled ahead of Mr Albanese as preferred prime minister but Labor remains in poll position despite a further fall in popular support.

The Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows Labor’s primary vote has dropped a point to 37 per cent on top of a three-point fall last week.

The coalition’s primary vote remains unchanged on a low 36 per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is also in the regions, announcing the opening of a major infrastructure project in northern Victoria, around an hour outside of Shepparton.

Joyce said the opening of the Echuca-Moama river crossing would transform the local economy and deliver a significant boost to the freight industry.

“Projects like this will drive our economy into the future by supporting the industries that produce and sell the products that make our nation wealthier and stronger,” he said.

The shift in underlying support for Labor picked up by Newspoll has resulted in a one-point gain for the coalition on a two-party-preferred basis with Labor ahead 53-47.

Morrison has pulled ahead of the Labor leader as the better prime minister, the Newspoll shows.

Albanese fell three points to 39 per cent while Morrison rose a point to 44 per cent.

The Greens remain unchanged on 10 per cent, with One Nation level on 3 per cent, Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party lifting a point to 4 per cent and “others” recording 10 per cent for the third poll in a row.