Year of surprises and excuses: Shorten

Australians have a right to be disappointed about what the Abbott government has served up in its first year, the opposition believes.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says there is a sense of anxiety in the community about what the Abbott government has done in the year since it won office.

"When Tony Abbott was elected it was on the basis that things would get better," he told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday, the anniversary of the election.

"Ever since then we've seen nasty surprises and pathetic excuses."

Labor would focus on standing up for ordinary Australians, Mr Shorten said.

Opposition frontbenchers issued a flurry of statements on Sunday morning pointing to promises across all portfolios they said had been broken.

Mr Shorten highlighted increased taxes, cuts to pension and family payments, cuts to school and hospital funding and plans to deregulate university fees.

"We haven't given up on the idea that we can keep Tony Abbott honest now," he said.