Bill Shorten on a campaign to lead Labor Bill Shorten will stand for the Labor leadership, saying he wants to lead the rebuilding of the party. Bill Shorten with his wife Chloe after announcing he would be standing for the job of Opposition Leader. BILL Shorten will embark on a mini-campaign to win over disillusioned Labor voters after formally announcing he intends to take on the "wrecker" of Australian politics, Tony Abbott. Declaring that he was ready for the "big, daunting job" of Opposition leader, Mr Shorten has seized on strong backing from Labor MPs to confirm he wanted the toughest job in politics. Mr Shorten is preparing for Anthony Albanese to also nominate when Labor MPs meet in Canberra on Friday - triggering a rank-and-file ballot that will take more than a month to complete. SETBACK: Indonesia to block dob a smuggler plan The former union leader confirmed he wanted senior Left MP Tanya Plibersek to run as his deputy. He also conceded Labor must put the Rudd-Gillard years behind it and focus on policies - rather than personalities - if it wants to be competitive. Bill Shorten with his wife Chloe after announcing he will stand for the job of Opposition Leader. In a signal that Labor plans to play tough on key Coalition policies, Mr Shorten vowed no retreat from the carbon tax or the NBN. Mr Albanese - the popular former Deputy Prime Minister - was keeping mum over his intentions but Mr Shorten is anticipating his NSW colleague also declare his hand. This would see the two candidates embark on a mini-campaign across Australia to win over ALP members who will be eligible to vote for the parliamentary leader under rules pushed through by Kevin Rudd. ABBOTT GOVT: Science Naplan tests face axe CANBERRA: Welcome to the Lodge, ladies But the rule changes - designed to prevent any future Prime Minister being executed by "faceless men" - have been heavily criticised by a raft of Labor MPs. Senior MPs said the changes put the party in a difficult position and feared that Mr Abbott - expected to be sworn in early next week as Prime Minister - could recall parliament early to embarrass Labor. Labor MP Laurie Ferguson said he believed the rules were pushed through because "after all the bloodletting, no one wanted to get in Kevin's way." "No one wanted to be viewed as disagreeing with Kevin ... they just sat there and copped it like stunned mullets," Mr Ferguson told News Corp Australia. Former caucus returning officer Chris Hayes said the changes would cause "considerable difficulty." As revealed by News Corp Australia, former frontbencher Steve Conroy has led the attack against the reforms, describing them as a "farce" and, privately, suggesting they could be subject to legal injunction. ELECTION: Liberals ahead as vote count continues Anthony Albanese is expected to declare his hand for the Labor leadership role. His comments follow those of former cabinet minister Stephen Conroy on Thursday night who said the changes were "farcical" and risked Labor becoming a "laughing stock." But division remains within the party about the reforms. Stephen Jones also said it was right to have the party membership involved in the selection of a new leader. "I don't think anyone was bullied into accepting the changes by Kevin Rudd or anyone else," Mr Jones said.