Bill Shorten has been promising that 2015 will be a year of ideas for the Labor Party.

On Sunday, the Opposition Leader dipped his toe in the water, albeit briefly, to suggest the time was ripe for another debate about an Australian republic.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten: His speech reflected a growing confidence. Credit:Luis Ascui

In the speech – which also touched on some of Australia's most tragic historical events such as the Myall Creek massacre – Shorten argued that it was time to "declare that our head of state should be one of us" and that Australians should "rally behind an Australian republic – a model that truly speaks for who we are".