Bill Shorten has put a republic, same-sex marriage and an emissions trading scheme on a future Labor government's agenda, as he kicked off his first conference as leader.
Mr Shorten used the start of the Melbourne conference on Friday to spell out his vision for a "smart, modern and fair" Australia and introduce himself as a family man with strong values.
But the opposition leader largely avoided the divisive topic of asylum seekers after committing earlier this week to turning back the boats, a policy he previously rejected.
The first Labor leader to be elected by grass-roots and caucus members, Mr Shorten threw his weight behind a republic within a decade, 50 per cent female MPs in the caucus, same-sex marriage and renewable energy jobs driven by a globally-linked ETS.
"We are ready to lead a smart, modern and fair Australia - ready, friends, to advance Australia," he said.
Having faced two days in the unions royal commission witness stand, the former Australian Workers Union national secretary defended the party's union base.
"No group of people in all of modern Australian history have done more to guarantee safety at work, to build national wealth, to lift the living standards of ordinary people, no-one has done more than our unions, and 10,000 royal commissions won't change that fact," he said.
He contrasted a modern-focused Labor with the coalition "flat earthers" led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott - a staunch monarchist and opponent of same-sex marriage.
In a bid to head off a coalition attack on a new carbon tax, Mr Shorten told delegates: "Let me say this again to our opponents in words of one syllable, an ETS is not a tax."
Mr Shorten also distinguished himself from former federal Labor leaders - none of them were in the audience for his speech, contrary to previous practice.
Although the subject of asylum seekers was barely touched on, when he mentioned opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles, some of the delegates booed.
The Left and Right factions - neither of which have a majority among the 397 voting delegates - were on Friday still deciding how to deal with the immigration policy debate on Saturday afternoon.
Some delegates were arguing for the party platform to ban boat turn-backs, while others argued the draft platform included enough concessions - such as a doubling of the humanitarian intake and an end to temporary protection visas - to satisfy refugee advocates.
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