Federal Liberal candidate for Gilmore Andrew Constance has ruled out accepting any portfolio in a re-elected Morrison government.
The former New South Wales transport minister made the comments while defending his procurement record while he held the portfolio.
Mr Constance said he had already had the conversation with Mr Morrison.
"My focus after 10-and-a-half years of being the state's treasurer, the state's disability minister, the state's finance minister, the state's ageing minister [and minister for] roads, transport and infrastructure is to take time out from being a minister and to actually focus on being a local member," he said.
He said he would turn a cabinet position down if he was offered one.
"I have no interest. I am not running to be a cabinet minister in the government."
Labor accuses Constance of rewriting record
In the second week of the federal election campaign, Labor has seized on an interview Mr Constance gave to a local radio station in the Shoalhaven where he said "... we [NSW Government] went to the Australian market seeking someone to build a train; no-one put their hand up".
In early 2015 when Gladys Berejiklian was the transport minister, four companies were shortlisted by the NSW government to tender for the new Intercity Fleet, including Swiss manufacturer Stadler Bussnang AG.
Mr Constance became the state's transport minister in April that year.
In November 2015, the company announced it was establishing a new company based in Australia.
In March 2016 the Stadler met with Wollongong City Council to canvass an approach to set up a facility to commission, produce and maintain the new trains in the Illawarra.
In August, the NSW Baird government revealed an international consortium had won the $2.3 billion contract and would build the trains in South Korea.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the issue needed to be drawn to the attention of voters.
"Andrew Constance has a long history of offshoring domestic manufacturing jobs," Mr Minns said.
"He is putting himself forward as a candidate for federal office and my argument is, 'don't let him do to Australia what he has done to NSW'."
Mr Minns said he was not leading the attack on Mr Constance because the local member Fiona Phillips was incapable of taking on the response.
"No, not all, I mean Fiona is an intelligent and tough advocate for her community, she's been calling for Australian jobs to be returned to NSW," he said.
Constance defends his record
Mr Constance said the attack was game playing from the Labor party and unions.
"I've generated 130,000 jobs in infrastructure transport and roads, delivered some of the nation's biggest transport projects," he said.
"But I am not running as transport minister in Gilmore, I am running as the local federal member."
Mr Constance said in relation to the Stadler bid for the Intercity, it "did not stack up".
"They wanted to, in essence, part-build the trains in Australia but we don't have some sort of mythical manufacturing plant in the Illawarra which could have catered for that need."
Mr Constance said the Labor party has "amnesia" when it comes to train procurement.
"The last Labor government under Kristina Keneally bought trains from China."
Mr Minns said he would accept that criticism.
"I would cop that on the chin, both major parties in different governments have offshored jobs as a result of transport procurement, but the NSW Labor party is standing up saying enough is enough."
