Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has declared the party will "learn the lessons" of defeat in a crucial election review to prepare for the next ballot, admitting changes were "inevitable" in the rethink of the party's direction and policies.

In another step towards a new policy platform, Mr Shorten acknowledged the case for policy change after a caucus meeting in Parliament House that included a dispute over how to respond to a government bill to punish animal activists who trespass on farms.

Bill Shorten said changes are "inevitable" after losing the election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"We didn't get enough votes at the last election so some change is inevitable," Mr Shorten said when asked about the review into the Labor campaign.

"If Labor didn't change some of its point of view, then that would be showing that we hadn't learned the lessons from the election."