Shorten dons hi-vis in Gladstone

Bill Shorten rolled out his hi-vis in Gladstone while his finance team did the heavy lifting in Brisbane.

The Labor leader and his wife, Chloe, donned the hard hats and safety goggles as they toured the Port of Gladstone to meet workers and management on Sunday.

While treasury spokesman Chris Bowen rolled out Labor's costings, Mr Shorten told port workers a government led by him would fund the next stage of the Gladstone Port Access Road but also reform the 457 guest worker process.

Chatting with workers, Mr Shorten noted the economy had changed a great deal over the past few years as it transitioned from the mining boom.

"There will always be foreign workers, that's the nature of Australia, but there are a million people in this country on visas which give them some temporary work rights," he said.

"I want to make sure that local workers are getting a crack at local jobs first and I want to make sure that foreign workers aren't getting exploited."

He was committed to making sure that the people employed on the visas, in specific work occupations, were only employed consistently with those specifications.

The Port of Gladstone is Queensland's largest multi-commodity port, handling more than 30 different products.

Its cargoes include coal, bauxite, alumina, aluminium and cement, shifting more than 98 million tonnes a year.

Nationals MP Ken O'Dowd has held the seat of Flynn since 2010, but Labor hopes it can make big inroads on his 6.2 point margin with 25-year-old Zac Beers.