Defence Minister Marise Payne has accused Labor of extreme hypocrisy over shipbuilding, insisting the opposition never placed a single order to build a ship in Australia during six years in government.
Her criticism comes after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten addressed a shipbuilders' rally in Adelaide, warning of the demise of manufacturing in Australia if Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was re-elected this year.
"It is hypocritical in the extreme and they should be exposed for the absolute hypocrites that they are," Senator Payne told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.
The government had committed to a future frigate build in Adelaide and offshore patrol vessels to be constructed in Australia while Labor made promises it never even tried to keep when it was in government, she said.
Mr Turnbull said the industry was now paying the price for Labor's neglect.
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Mr Shorten told Saturday's rally Labor was committed to supporting the building and maintenance of submarines in South Australia and supporting a continuous build until the submarine contracts went online.
He took a swipe at coalition MPs for not having the "intestinal fortitude" to be there.
"This submarine battle is not just about the submarines.
"It's actually about do we want to be a country that makes things in Australia?"
Senator Payne in March confirmed Spanish shipbuilder Navantia had been selected as the preferred tenderer to construct urgently needed replacements of replenishment vessels HMAS Success and HMAS Sirius.
The decision sparked outrage from Labor and shipbuilders, angry that shipbuilding dollars were being sent overseas while Australia's own industry was on life support.
Mr Shorten said it was a "terrible decision", vowing to make manufacturing and jobs a core election issue.
Being the son of a former seafarer and ship repairer, he said, the issue was personal.
"It is not leadership to have sent the naval supply vessels to Spain."
Meanwhile, a ReachTEL poll of almost 1300 voters in Liberal-held Adelaide seats, commissioned by the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, shows most support submarines being built in South Australia.
In Sturt, the seat of cabinet minister Christopher Pyne, 85 per cent support a South Australian submarine build, while in Hindmarsh it's 90 per cent.
The union is warning the coalition will face a voter backlash at the upcoming election if shipbuilding follows car manufacturing overseas.
Its assistant national secretary Glenn Thompson said it was madness for the government to consider having submarines built overseas as South Australia struggled with high unemployment.
He said voters were "deeply cynical" after the coalition backflipped on its 2013 pre-election promise to build submarines in Adelaide.
Japan, France and Germany are competing for the contract to build 12 submarines.
