Former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty has urged the Labor government to regroup and take responsibility for its political woes.
Mr Kelty told a gala dinner at the ACTU triennial conference in Sydney last night, Australia is going through a period of great transition, with difficult reforms, including the carbon and mining taxes, providing a rough road for the government.
But he says Labor must carry on.
The 64-year-old top unionist says Labor and the unions are best-placed to manage the great transition the Australian economy faces.
Current and former Labor prime ministers, including Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, paid tribute to Mr Kelty, while Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who was at a community cabinet meeting in Melbourne, sent a message of congratulations.