Labor should allow the Abbott government to legislate its budget so the public can experience its harsh consequences, retiring Labor senator Mark Bishop says.

The West Australian senator said he thought Labor was unduly influenced by a ''Green-Left'' view of the world and that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was strategically wrong to block the budget.

Senator Mark Bishop, left, says Labor should pass the Abbott government's budget. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Senator Bishop's view has a historical precedent with Paul Keating, leading into the 1993 election, promising to wave through Liberal leader John Hewson's controversial policies, including the introduction of a 15 per cent goods and services tax.

There remains a minority view within the Labor Party that the opposition allowed John Howard to stay in power for 11 years by sanding the sharp edges off his policies.