The prime minister and his deputy will combine forces in regional Queensland, meeting for the first time in the election campaign to spruik jobs and a strong economy.

But the pair face pressure to re-affirm their climate change policy after Nationals Senator Matt Canavan declared the net-zero emissions target “dead”. 

Scott Morrison will directly pitch to regional and rural voters, pointing out that in the US and Europe the “politics of geography” was driving feelings of social and political disconnection and a fracturing of society.

Coal workers feel looked down on, something that was evident at the last election, the prime minister will say in a speech to the Queensland Chamber of Commerce. 

“Their jobs and lifestyles derided or seen as somehow unworthy, in a world where the big talkers all seem to work in government, or finance, or the tech industry or the media,” he is expected to say. 

“That is not the country I know. I believe the vast majority of Australians in our capital cities feel a genuine affinity and connection with the Australian heartland.” 

Mr Morrison said he would ensure people living in Australia’s regions have the same economic opportunities as people in the cities.

“I believe the regions is where we can really drive our economy forward and there’ll be great benefit,” he told reporters in Rockhampton.

Yet Labor campaign spokesperson Murray Watt said jobs would be lost under a re-elected Liberal-National coalition if they retract a commitment to net zero.

“People are making the changes (to net zero) and the only people who want to hold that back are the National Party, putting jobs in jeopardy right here in central Queensland,” he told ABC News on Wednesday. 

Mr Morrison said the coalition was committed to its net-zero policy but as prime minister he needed to bring people together from different perspectives across the country.

“That debate has been done in the coalition and it is resolved and our policy was set out very clearly. (Net zero) has the strong support of the government,” he said. 

“We did the hard yards to get everyone together and of course, there’ll be some who disagreed at the time and I suspect they still will, but that doesn’t change the government’s policy.”

It comes as the coalition slightly improves its position in new polling but Labor remains well ahead with 54.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. 

The latest Roy Morgan poll shows the L-NP gained a small 0.5 per cent, on a two-party preferred basis during the second week of the campaign.

The two-party preferred result of 54.5 per cent for the ALP and 45.5 per cent for the L-NP is the closest result in six months.

In November 2021 Labor’s two-party preferred lead was seven percentage points. 

Mr Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce are starting Wednesday in Rockhampton in the seat of Capricornia.

They will announce details of the regional jobs plan on Wednesday, as Labor and the government are set to again clash over rising cost of living pressures, with the latest inflation figures due to be released.

Labor is starting the day campaigning in Sydney.