Labor deputy Tanya Plibersek hopes Bill Shorten's appearance at the unions royal commission is wrapped up quickly, and he can get on with being opposition leader.
Mr Shorten, a former Victorian and national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, is under pressure to explain his role in sweetheart deals negotiated with employers during his time at the AWU.
Following a request from his lawyers Mr Shorten is due to appear before the royal commission on July 8, rather than a date in August or September.
Ms Plibersek described critical media reports about the Labor leader as "extraordinary", particularly after he had agreed to front the unions inquiry.
"He'll go to the commission and they can put to him whatever they choose to," she told reporters in Sydney.
"It would be excellent if that were done as quickly as possible so he can get on with the important issues that face us as a nation."
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said evidence before the inquiry indicated Labor is facing an "existential crisis".
Union officials were putting themselves before workers, showing they stood for nothing, Mr Abbott told the NSW Liberal Party State Council meeting in Sydney.
"What it shows is that, as far as modern Labor is concerned, it isn't any more about the workers and their rights, it's about the union bosses and their privileges," he said on Saturday.
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