Why Bill will move to the Lodge if he wins — and what he thinks of the PMs he’s faced

Bill Shorten has revealed he hopes to move his blended family to the Lodge if he wins Saturday’s election. In our exclusive interview, he also talked about how he united the fractured Labor Party — and what he really thinks of the three prime ­ministers he’s faced in the past five years.

Bill Shorten, the man the polls predict will become Australia’s next Prime Minister, wants to move his blended family to Canberra if he wins Saturday’s election, a first in Australian political history.

Mr Shorten spent yesterday in Melbourne where, alongside photogenic Labor Senator Kristina Keneally and cute puppies, he announced $2 million funding for guide dog assistance.

Bill Shorten and Senator Kristina Keneally holding guide dog pups yesterday.

Earlier this week, in an ­exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Shorten, who turns 52 today, also revealed the difficult task of bringing the Labor Party together after the leadership turmoil of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years — and what he really thinks of the three prime ­ministers he’s faced in the past five years.

MORE FROM ANNIKA SMETHURST

Labor offers free childcare for lowest-income earners

Coalition to cap refugee numbers and increase migrant women

Dual citizenship hits UAP candidates preferencing Coalition MPs

In a powerful sign for the one third of Australian families living in a non-­traditional setting, Mr Shorten will become the first divorcee to take the top job and the first to live in The Lodge as a stepfamily if elected next weekend.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, the Labor leader ­rejected suggestions he was ­already banking on winning, but said he would like the Lodge to become his new family home.

“The Libs are always out there saying I’m measuring up the curtains. I’m not, I’m thinking about May 18,” Mr Shorten said.

“But I do think the Prime Minister should live in The Lodge or Kirribilli.

“We are a partnership so I will have to speak with Chloe. The transition is not automatic or easy.”

If Mr Shorten, wife Chloe and the couple’s three children Georgette (known as Gigi), Rupert and Clementine base themselves in Canberra, they will be the first family to live there in a decade.

Scott Morrison has based his family at Kirribilli in Sydney and stayed at The Lodge on sitting weeks, which was also the arrangement used by John Howard.

Kevin Rudd and his children lived in the Lodge ONLY during his first stint as PM, and Julia Gillard has no kids. Tony Abbott never spent a night in the Georgian revival-style house because it was being renovated.

Mr Shorten took over the Labor Party leadership in 2013 after six tumultuous years for Labor dominated by leadership tensions and factionalism.

“We were concerned by our infighting, we fixed that,” Mr Shorten said. “I have managed to pull the party together in a way which hasn’t been done for a couple of generations … I am not sure I realised the task was quite as hard as it was.

“Some of the longest-serving caucus members say it’s the most united we’ve been in two generations.”

Labor remains narrowly ahead in the polls, but whatever the outcome the party is ­expected to pick up seats. However it may be forced to negotiate with an expanded crossbench in order to form government.

Those negotiations could potentially jeopardise some of Labor’s biggest promises, including axing cash refunds for franking ­credits and negative gearing changes.

Asked what his priority policies were, Mr Shorten refused to show his hand ahead of election day, but said he was willing to work with independents and minor parties.

“One thing I’ve learnt about negotiations is if you signal what you’re prepared to give up straight away, they’ll bank that and move on to your next thing,” he said.

Bill Shorten with his campaign bus.

In 2016, Labor needed 19 seats to become the first opposition in 85 years to return to government after just one term. They won 15.

For the first time, Mr Shorten has admitted that inexperience and the dispute between the militant United Firefighters’ Union and volunteer ­fire­fighters in his home state of Victoria affected his chances of winning in 2016.

“We’ve got a lot more of our policies out and the CFA (Country Firefighters Auth­ority) is not an issue,” he said. “My team is more experienced, I’ve got a lot of candidates running for the second time.”

As Australia’s longest ­serving opposition leader since Kim Beazley, Mr Shorten has had time to observe the three prime ministers who have sat across from him in parliament.

“Abbott has a strong ­intellect which I don’t think people realise. What he thinks is unusual … but he is not an idiot and he is very good at just punching a message,” Mr Shorten said.

“Turnbull looked like a prime minister and the current fella, well he’s not going to die wondering.”

Scott Morrison last week ­labelled Mr Shorten “shifty”. Mr Shorten’s response: “If he thinks name-calling changes a nation that’s up to him.

“There is no plan for the nation when he calls me a name.”