Anthony Albanese has accused One Nation of faking a mass donations drive, prompting Pauline Hanson to say the Prime Minister is jealous of the minor party’s rising popularity.

The escalating attacks between the leaders follows attention to ads each party has run online this week soliciting small donations towards fighting funds to beat the other.

A One Nation webpage showed the party received more than $2 million by Thursday afternoon for its “fire the liar” campaign that started early Wednesday morning.

Asked whether Senator Hanson had “smashed you in the fundraising race”, Mr Albanese questioned its legitimacy.

“Did she though? Did she? What evidence is there?” he asked reporters in Sydney.

“It is an example of slogans being put forward, not substance, and people can say all of these things, they get a run in the media… We’ll continue to actually be interested in making a difference to people’s lives, and that is what we will focus on.”

On the other side of the country, in Perth, Senator Hanson said her fundraising was “very legitimate” and said she’d called in an independent auditor to go over the donations.

A party spokesperson said there were more than 28,000 donors and the average contribution was $59.

“It’s all receipted, it’s all on a spreadsheet,” Senator Hanson said.

“Why would I call out the liar … and go and do something like that myself? It would destroy me.

“He can’t even believe it himself. I heard on the grapevine he’s only received about $20,000 for the Labor Party, so he can’t imagine One Nation getting the support that we have.”

Liberal leader Angus Taylor, also in WA, said questions about donations were for other parties to answer.

“I’m hearing all these stories about this fundraising. I think they’re all questions for others, not for me,” he said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers also turned his sights on One Nation on Thursday, using a speech to Labor Party faithful to tie the minor party with the Coalition in opposing aspiration for all Australians and helping people to get ahead.

“Unlike One Nation, we vote the way workers need us to, not the way Gina Rinehart tells us to,” he said, reprising a line that got a run in Parliament last week and in media appearances as far back as April.

Mr Albanese made a similar reference on Thursday, citing the private jet one of Mrs Rinehart’s companies donated to One Nation earlier in the year.

“That (crowdfunding) pales into insignificance with the size of a single donation which was given, showing, I think, the interests that One Nation represent. It’s not battlers. They vote against battlers each and every time,” he said.

Labor’s internal research suggests there are a significant group of people now saying they would vote for One Nation who could still be persuaded back to the major parties before the next election if they can show they’re helping people in concrete ways.

The party expects to test out various ways of combatting the rise of One Nation over coming months, but knows that people like Senator Hanson on a personal level and are willing to overlook misgivings about her policies or attitudes because they feel like she’s honest and hard working.