Bill Shorten has declared the next federal election will be fought on leadership.
It's a bold suggestion, given Malcolm Turnbull has consistently polled ahead of the Labor leader as preferred prime minister since the ousting of Tony Abbott in September.
However, Mr Shorten says the key question is Mr Turnbull's "failure to provide any leadership".
The opposition leader told the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday the prime minister had proven to be a "massive disappointment" to Australians since taking on the role, especially on jobs, education, health, a fairer taxation system and climate change.
Mr Shorten admits the elevation of Mr Turnbull made his task harder.
"(But) we have watched this prime minister shrink into the job, selling out his principles in exchange for power," he said.
"He has cut and run from the battlefield of ideas in Australian politics."
Labor has ripped up the rule book of opposition by releasing 73 costed policies since the 2013 election.
Mr Shorten acknowledges that one of these, Labor's emissions trading scheme, is politically risky.
But the economic and environmental risks of inaction were far greater, he said.
The opposition leader used his speech to lay out Labor's commitment to full employment - which he defined as meaning "every Australian working to their full capacity".
Marginal seats in western Sydney, the Hunter region, Geelong, northwest Tasmania and suburban Adelaide and Perth - where unemployment and under-employment are high - will respond well to such talk.
It's a pledge he's likely to repeat as the phony election campaign continues ahead of the real campaign expected to start as early as May.
Mr Shorten later told the ABC's 7.30 program he would aim for a five per cent unemployment rate.
"It's not satisfactory that we've got six per cent-plus unemployment - that's 750,000 people," he said.
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