Opposition Leader Bill Shorten wasted no time in describing newly appointed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as just another “salesman” to lead the Liberal Party.

On Monday night, the former Communications Minister defeated Tony Abbott in a leadership ballot 54 votes to 44.

As ousted Mr Abbott was waking up with a political hangover on Tuesday, Mr Shorten addressed the Labor caucus.

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“It may not be the same leader, but it’s the same Liberal leader,” Mr Shorten said.

“An out of touch, arrogant Liberal Government is just going to change the salesman – but Australians deserve better.”

Mr Shorten said unemployment had spiked and the NBN had doubled since the last election.

“The real issue is this is the same old stuff, re-badged as new,” he said.

“The thing about Malcolm is, it’s always about Malcolm.

“We have seen off one bad Liberal PM and we will do it again.”

Leaving his Canberra apartment the following morning, Mr Turnbull told reporters he was “filled with optimism” as he readied himself for his first day in power.

“It was a long night and it’s going to be a big day today … a lot of work to do,” he said.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said Mr Turnbull’s personal quest for the top job was now fulfilled but she wondered where that left the country.

“He’s very smooth and I think that’ll work for him in the short term but people will very quickly come to see that smoothness as a sort of slick merchant banker approach to public life,” she told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Fellow frontbencher Jason Clare labelled Mr Turnbull “a multi-millionaire who lives in a pink mansion on Sydney Harbour”.