Mr Shorten will announce the HMAS Tobruk funding promise as part of a $44 million Tasmanian tourism infrastructure fund at a press conference in Burnie on Friday morning.

The fund includes $15 million for the Cradle Mountain Master Plan, $4 million towards the final stage of the Three Capes Track and $1.275 million for the Burnie waterfront, with $13.725 left over for further announcements.

The Cradle Mountain funding is half the $30 million the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania has asked for.

The announcement is sure to put further pressure on Mr Turnbull, Lyons MHR Eric Hutchinson, Braddon’s Brett Whiteley and Bass MHR Andrew Nikolic to pledge funds for the state, with the government in a battle to retain all three marginal seats.

The government is yet to announce funding for key tourism projects, or match Mr Shorten’s $150 million pledge to relocate the University of Tasmania’s Launceston and Burnie campuses.

Both federal parties have come under considerable pressure to fund the scuttling of HMAS Tobruk at Skeleton Bay, with Premier Will Hodgman urging Defence Minister Marise Payne to gift the ship to the state earlier this month. 

Tasmania is the only state to have not been gifted a dive wreck.

Break O’Day Mayor Mick Tucker has led the push for the scuttling following the ship’s retirement last year after 35 years of service, estimating it would bring at least 5000 interstate and international tourists to the region each year.

Mr Shorten said the $44 million fund would allow the tourism industry to “develop key attractions, deliver jobs and economic benefits for decades to come”.

“Tourism directly and indirectly supports around 38,000 jobs in Tasmania or about 16.2 per cent of total Tasmanian employment - the highest in the country,” he said.

“But without top-class attractions, Tasmania will not be able to retain that growth and capture the full benefits that come with it. This is particularly vital for the Tasmanian economy as it goes through a period of transition.”