Scott Morrison has denied he broke a key 2019 election promise to establish a national integrity commission, arguing the proposal did not have enough support to pass parliament's upper house.
During a visit to northern Tasmania on Thursday, the prime minister said he did not want to create a "kangaroo court".
He also rejected suggestions that his lack of support for establishing the integrity commission was designed to protect senior members of the government.
"I have seen the lives destroyed by a commission such as that, which becomes a kangaroo court, and goes around and seems to operate through politics and shaming people," Mr Morrison told reporters in Launceston on Thursday.
"I have seen the damage that causes, I don't want to see something of that nature."
Mr Morrison was campaigning in the marginal seat of Bass, held on a meagre 0.4 per cent margin by Liberal MP Bridget Archer, who crossed the floor of parliament to vote for a debate on a federal integrity body.
Ms Archer, who appeared alongside the prime minister at a forestry facility on Thursday, said such a commission needed bipartisan support.
"Nothing will move forward until the politics is taken out," she said.
"I would like to see the positive promotion of integrity in public life, there are a lot of ways to achieve that, one of those may be through integrity commission legislation, but there are other ways to achieve that."
While campaigning in the NSW seat of Hunter, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the lack of an integrity commission highlighted a failed election commitment by the government.
"(Scott Morrison) made it clear that he wouldn't have a national integrity commission during the next term with this rather bizarre statement that the reason was because Labor didn't support his model," he told reporters in the regional town of Cessnock.
"The reason why this prime minister doesn't want an anti-corruption commission is sitting on his frontbench."
Mr Albanese was in the electorate to announce an urgent care clinic would be built in Cessnock, one of 50 promised clinics across the country should Labor win office.
Asked where the health workers would come from to staff the clinics given current shortages, the Labor leader said there would be further announcements about training for GPs during the campaign.
The opposition has also announced a promise to keep Centrelink shopfronts open, as well as hire 200 new workers.
The opposition said almost 30 shopfronts have closed under the government, with Labor guaranteeing there would not be a net reduction.
Meanwhile, the Australian Greens will be in the NSW Illawarra region to announce a plan to invest $500 million in green steel to shift Australians away from the use of coal and gas.
Green steel is made with hydrogen instead of coal, meaning its by-product is water and delivers the lowest possible carbon footprint.
Further up the NSW coast, Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is in the Hunter region for two infrastructure announcements - one at Morisset in Lake Macquarie and one at Newcastle.
The first announcement was for $55 million to upgrade and expand the terminal at Newcastle Airport to increase capacity for international commercial and freight flights into the Hunter.
