Prime Minister Tony Abbott should move on from pictures with world leaders cuddling koalas and get to Victoria for the election campaign, federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says.
Mr Shorten says Mr Abbott should be in Victoria with Premier Denis Napthine, now that visits by G20 leaders are over.
"Tony Abbott has run out of excuses not to be in Victoria," Mr Shorten told reporters at a Melbourne level crossing on Thursday.
"He needs to move away from koala cuddly shots with Vladimir Putin and get on and start talking to people in Victoria about how Denis Napthine's going to have more weight with him because he's not.
"Denis Napthine has had a year and three months to demonstrate his bona fides with standing up Victoria against Canberra.
"Tony Abbott is as scared of Denis Napthine as Vladimir Putin is worried about Tony Abbott."
Mr Shorten was backing Victorian Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews' plan to remove 50 of Melbourne's worst level crossings.
Asked if he supported Mr Andrews' plan to scrap contracts for the East West Link road project if Labor wins the election, Mr Shorten said he supported Mr Andrews becoming premier of Victoria.
"There is one federal leader in Australian politics taking part in this federal (sic) election and it is not Tony Abbott," Mr Shorten said, meaning the Victorian election.
Mr Shorten said he has lived in Melbourne his whole life whereas Mr Abbott "doesn't know Victoria".
"My message to Tony Abbott is that Melbourne is a flatter city than Sydney and we need to deal with our level crossings and we need to make sure our rail links are working then we can have the discussion about roads."
Mr Abbott joined Dr Napthine on the campaign trail earlier this month, saying the election was a referendum on infrastructure and the East West Link.
