Shorten says Bullock not to blame

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten does not blame unionist Joe Bullock for the party's dismal result in the West Australian Senate re-run.

But he says the disunity within Labor in the days after the poll underlined the need for party reform.

Mr Shorten has outlined sweeping changes to democratise and broaden Labor's membership beyond unions, including giving rank and file members more say in Senate contests.

He says the party showed division and rancour in the days after the WA poll, where a factional powerplay shunted outgoing Senator Louise Pratt for union heavyweight Mr Bullock.

Senator Pratt has accused her successor of being homophobic and disloyal to the ALP.

Mr Shorten said Mr Bullock was not to blame for the ALP's woes, but he wasn't going to shirk away from the "hard truth" to call for local members to have a greater voice in Senate pre-selections.

"We need to make it very clear that Labor wants the best possible candidates," he told ABC TV on Tuesday.

"We want them from all walks of life and we will be a membership-based party, not a faction."