Boats, taxes on election agenda

Bill Shorten insists he leads a united party to the election, as the coalition seized on unrest within Labor over asylum-seeker policy.

The first full day of campaigning for the July 2 poll was dominated by debate over budget priorities and stopping the boats.

While Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull did not unveil any new policies, he talked up his government's economic plan as he campaigned in marginal Brisbane seats.

However, the Labor leader - campaigning in north Queensland - faced questions over a number of ALP candidates speaking against boat turnbacks.

The ALP's national conference last year voted in favour of turning back asylum seekers boats and continuing offshore detention, but Left faction members argued they're unsafe and breached Australia's human rights obligations.

"When it comes to unity, we've had our debates, we've set our course and we are absolutely committed to stopping people smugglers getting back into business," Mr Shorten said.

Earlier Sophie Ismail, Labor's candidate in the Greens seat of Melbourne, proudly tweeted a Fairfax Media article showing her at odds with the party's asylum-seeker policy.

"I don't think they should be on the table," she said about boat turnbacks.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, who on Monday revealed three boatloads of asylum seekers had been returned since the start of the year, said Labor was divided.

"This is the problem that Labor's got ... in opposition they promise they'll stop the boats and in government they undo the policies because of internal pressures."

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who argued against turnbacks in 2015, said he would not condemn candidates for putting forward their personal views.

"They are entitled to do so," he said.

Mr Albanese - who faces a challenge from the Greens in his inner-Sydney seat of Grayndler - said the minor party needed to focus more on defeating the coalition and its "right-wing conservative agenda".

Greens leader Richard Di Natale said his party would not be preferencing the Liberals ahead of Labor in any seats.

"Our local branches will make decisions about whether they recommend preferences or not, and in the end let's have a debate about issues that matter," he said while campaigning in Grayndler.

An average of the latest polls puts Labor on 50.1 per cent of the two-party preferred vote - not enough to change the government.

Mr Shorten, who announced a plan for 400 indigenous scholarships, said Labor remained the underdog.

Mr Turnbull spoke to fruit market operators about his plan for $48 billion in company tax cuts.

"Most of them would be benefiting immediately from our enterprise tax cut," he said.

Mr Shorten said it would be better to spend the money on education.

"Does it really take this election for Mr Turnbull to work out you can give a $50 billion tax cut to multinationals who will send much of the benefit to foreign shareholders, or just invest in Aussie kids?"