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Reunited Labor has right ideas: Shorten

Confidence grows for Bill Shorten as polls reveal reduced support for his main rival and a slight rise in his standing as preferred prime minister.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten
Bill Shorten is buoyed by the latest polls showing Malcolm Turnbull losing popularity among voters. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Labor has reunited and rediscovered its voice, Bill Shorten has declared.

But the opposition leader wants to convince voters the election isn't a contest of personalities but ideas.

The Labor leader has a new-found cause for confidence - fresh polls show his rival for the nation's top job is losing ground among voters.

Mr Shorten still lags behind Malcolm Turnbull considerably but his standing as preferred prime minister has slightly increased in a Fairfax-Ipsos poll.

Rallying supporters in western Sydney on Saturday, Mr Shorten said he welcomed a fight with Mr Turnbull on policy.

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"This election isn't about him - it's not about me," he told the audience of young Labor volunteers in Campbelltown.

Mr Shorten's second foray into the western Sydney suburb in a week came at an opportune time.

A separate ReachTel poll shows Labor could clinch the seat of Macarthur held by Liberal Russell Matheson 51-49 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.

"As I go around Australia ... there is a distinct awakening of interest in an alternative," he said.

And he's declared a new era for the opposition under his leadership.

"Labor has found its voice again.

"We are united."


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