Shorten derides PM's 'group therapy'

The government's problems are not the barnacles but the ship, the crew and the captain, Bill Shorten says.

Tony Abbott's attempt to reset the agenda by holding a lengthy press conference has been derided as a "group therapy session" by Labor leader Bill Shorten.

The prime minister on Monday took full responsibility for the "ragged" time the government has suffered recently, telling reporters "the buck stops with me".

The press conference has been interpreted as a bid to reboot the government's agenda, after confusion over the GP co-payment, controversy over cuts to the ABC and a disastrous state election for the Victorian coalition.

But addressing the final Labor caucus meeting for 2014, Mr Shorten told colleagues the government was adrift, and its budget was "sinking fast".

"It is not, despite what Tony Abbott was saying, the barnacles. It's the actual ship. It's the crew, it's the captain," he said.

"It's simple, if the government wanted to reboot, recast, press the delete button (on the budget)."