Survivors of domestic violence could be provided 10 days paid leave under a future Labor government.
Bill Shorten has signalled he is open to doubling Labor's existing policy for five days paid domestic and family violence leave, and challenged unions to champion the cause.
"But unless the union asks then there is not a chance we will ever get to that point," Mr Shorten told Australian Services Union delegates in Sydney on Thursday.
"Unless the union presses the case for progressive employers, we will not get to that destination," he said.
Australia's inexcusable domestic violence rates were a disgrace forcing mothers and children to live in constant fear, Mr Shorten said.
"There is no finer argument to be having now - not that you'd wish to have it, but in terms of merit - than the case for domestic violence leave in the workplace."
Mr Shorten took aim at "ignorant, ill-informed" voices speaking out against paid domestic violence leave.
"I've never met a survivor of family violence who says, 'Well, I'm doing it for the leave'," he told delegates.
"I just sincerely hope nobody in their families have to experience what some of the survivors you support go through."
Mr Shorten pledged to speak with ASU officials about their push for a minimum universal standard of 10 days paid family violence leave.
"As I made clear in my talk this morning, domestic violence leave is not some great impost on Australia. The great impost on Australia is domestic violence," he told reporters.
"The more we can do to help survivors, the better we can get things going for a whole lot of people and improve the bottom line of this country."
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