New Labor leader Anthony Albanese has singled out the party's attacks on the so-called "rich" as a major reason for its upset election loss, singling out the controversial franking credit policy as one measure that backfired.
But as Mr Albanese sought to make a clean break with Labor's class war rhetoric, his predecessor Bill Shorten blamed "corporate leviathans" and the media for cruelling his bid for the prime ministership.
Phillip Coorey is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence. Connect with Phillip on Facebook and Twitter. Email Phillip at pcoorey@afr.com