Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he will put climate change at the centre of his campaign. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "He's not Tony Abbott so that gets him some points. But disappointment is the most common word used to describe Turnbull. He just doesn't stand for anything. It's been a very underwhelming six months." As Mr Shorten prepares to give a major set-piece speech outlining his election priorities to the National Press Club on Tuesday, he has declared he will not run a "small target" election campaign by avoiding tough issues. Rather, Labor will continue to put out detailed and potentially contentious policy proposals, as it did on negative gearing. And he won't be shying away from the issue that did so much damage to Labor under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.

"We're going to fight the election with climate change as one of our big issues," he said. "Climate change is both a challenge and an opportunity for Australia if we respond to it correctly." Labor has already proposed ambitious emissions reduction and renewable energy targets and has promised to take a new emissions trading scheme to the election. Asked about the political risk of taking an ETS to the people so soon after the bruising carbon tax debate, Mr Shorten said: "We're risking the future if we don't show leadership." "I'm not going to go down Mr Turnbull's low road of just wanting the job for the sake of having the job. There's no point being in politics – or seeking to form a government – if you're not going to do anything to improve this country," he said. Mr Turnbull's extended honeymoon came to a screeching halt this year as a string of ministerial scandals and resignations led to a messy reshuffle, party divisions were exposed and the government abandoned major tax reform.

While Mr Shorten's personal approval ratings continue to languish, recent polls have put Labor and the Coalition neck and neck on a two-party preferred basis. While the election is still considered Mr Turnbull's to lose, there is a growing sense that Mr Shorten and his team cannot be written off. He believes the election will ultimately be less about personalities and more about ideas – and he doesn't believe the government has many ideas. "My prediction is they're going to have a couple of positive announcements and then they're going to go negative," he said. The election will also be about unity, conviction and authenticity.

"I run my party, Malcolm Turnbull doesn't run his," Mr Shorten said. "My party's united, Malcolm Turnbull's party is divided. I don't have to pretend to be what I'm not – Malcolm Turnbull does." In a sign of his determination to be taken seriously by the voting public, Mr Shorten has even embarked on a rigorous new exercise regime, shedding seven kilograms since the beginning of the year. "There's nothing mysterious going on – I haven't had a medical procedure or taken any fancy pharmaceuticals. It's just running and watching what you eat."