Labor lost the May 18 federal election because of a "lethal combination'' of an unpopular leader, a poor campaign and a policy agenda that was so cluttered and expensive that it caused low-income voters to fear it would crash the economy and risk their jobs.

Labor's post-election review, led by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and former federal minister Craig Emerson, also found Labor failed to craft a single persuasive message for a change of government, failed to adjust its campaign message away from Malcolm Turnbull to Scott Morrison, and it targeted too many seats.