Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek says politicians should not be "playing Australian off against Australian" over Adani's proposed Carmichael mine.
The coalition has accused Labor of saying one thing about the project in central Queensland and another in Melbourne's inner suburbs.
There were also reports on Thursday that Labor's only north Queensland MP is hesitant to talk about the mine altogether.
Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price on Monday gave the green light to a groundwater plan for the controversial project in Queensland's Galilee Basin.
Further approvals would be needed from the Queensland government before construction could begin.
The Australian reported on Thursday that Labor's only north Queensland MP, Cathy O'Toole, had refused to discuss the mine when questioned about it.
Home Affairs Peter Dutton says if Labor leader Bill Shorten is gagging Ms O'Toole over the mine, it's because he wants to win votes in Australia's big cities.
"They're more interested in Green voters in inner-city areas in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, than they are in workers out in Western and Central Queensland," he told 2GB Radio on Thursday.
Mr Dutton said that provided the mine meets all required conditions, the coalition would warmly embrace the 8000 jobs it would create.
"We don't open schools in Brisbane, we don't pay the wages of staff at our hospitals in Queensland without the royalties from mining."
Both Mr Shorten and Ms Plibersek have dismissed suggestions that Labor MPs and candidates have been gagged.
"My people are free to speak," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne
Ms Plibersek also said the discussion about the mine should not be focused on politics, particularly the kind that plays some areas off against others.
"We can't be playing Australian off against Australian," she told ABC News.
"We actually need to be sensible, be adult -- follow the law and follow the science."
The deputy leader personally remains sceptical about the project, believing Adani has overstated the number of jobs it would support and understated its environmental impacts.
"But we're not making this up as we go along. We've got environmental laws that we need to adhere to."
