Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has told Labor party faithful that Australia needs to learn from the lessons of the US election.
The election of Donald Trump shows "we live in a time where old certainties are shifting" and the growing strength of extreme left and right underscores the need for Labor to redouble efforts to appeal to the centre, Mr Shorten told a Victoria Labor conference in Melbourne on Sunday.
"Whilst we are a different country, that some of the seeds of disquiet we see overseas are present and growing in this country," he told the crowd.
Mr Shorten also said he stood by his earlier comments about the president-elect .
He said he would never support disrespecting women, the unemployed, migrants, veterans, or Muslims.
"The day that we accommodate that, just because someone, somewhere else, has won an election, is a day that we surrender the mantle of leadership in this country," Mr Shorten said.
The two-day conference began on Saturday, with Premier Daniel Andrews using his speech to announce an independent registration and accreditation scheme for the state's disability workforce.
