Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ridiculed Malcolm Turnbull over bowing to his "backbench bullies" by looking to water down the nation's racial discriminations laws.
He told the Victorian Labor conference in Melbourne on Sunday the prime minister is trading away protections against hate speech in return for protecting his own job.
"If there is anyone out there still holding out hope for the old Malcolm Turnbull, keeping that leather jacket ready for the real Malcolm, this week has shown if he ever existed, he's not coming back," he said.
