Bill Shorten has high hopes for Labor in Tasmania at the 2016 federal election.
A clean sweep of the island state's five federal electorates is what Mr Shorten has in store, up from the sole seat currently held by the party's Julie Collins.
"We all know Tasmania will be a key battleground in the next election," he said during a keynote address to the state party conference in Hobart on Saturday.
"We have the team to win this fight, in this state."
While independent MP Andrew Wilkie, whose seat is in Labor's sights, was spared Mr Shorten's scorn, the opposition leader took a swipe at the state's Liberal members, including a "glass jawed" prime ministerial favourite, Andrew Nikolic.
"In less than two months, (Labor candidate) Justine Keay has already shown more initiative, more care and more understanding for northwest Tassie than Brett Whitely (Liberal MP for Braddon) has shown in more than a decade of talking-down Tassie people looking for work," Mr Shorten said.
Tasmania has the nation's second worst unemployment rate and there is a dire outlook for the state's regional youth on the jobs front, he added.
"For every month of the Abbott Government, Tasmanian unemployment has been above the national average.
"But when Australia and Tasmania - needs a plan for jobs more urgently than ever before, the Liberals are only interested in fighting to save their own jobs."
Mr Shorten told the gathering the Labor party would win the 2016 election on its platform of jobs, education, health and fairness.
Tasmanian Labor leader Bryan Green will address the conference on Sunday.
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