While the government bothers itself with internal conflict, Bill Shorten is making hay Picture: David Geraghty

The national political discussion is picking up speed and guess who is being left in its dust?

It’s the Turnbull government.

In a marked reversal of the order of things, the Labor Opposition is taking the lead and registering most firmly with voters, according to polling and anecdotal reports.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten might not be setting the political agenda; only a Prime Minister with command of the Lower House can do that. But he is driving the political debate of recent weeks on areas as diverse as parliamentary reform, tax overhauls and wage growth and economic inequality.

Mr Shorten is aiming to maximise any political gains from standing for something while accusing the Government of having no guiding principles or designs.

And he is riding hands and heels the broad perception that households are being bombarded with higher expenses and struggling with underemployment while being told “innovation” is coming to their rescue.

Labor’s “inequality” campaign is so far made up largely of sympathy and promises, but has two substantial dividends.

It is part of an effort to convince voters the Opposition is talking about what they are talking about and to act on their concerns.

Meanwhile, the Government seems focused on Liberal Party reforms in NSW, Liberal Party divisions on same-sex marriage and Liberal Party apprehension over whether Tony Abbott is undermining Malcolm Turnbull.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has failed to take the lead and set the agenda. Picture: David GeraghtySource:News Corp Australia

Even the momentous decision to create a centralised security and intelligence department could not be cleanly extracted from internal party dynamics.

Further, the Labor campaign has forced out the Government. Ministers have had to join the discussion.

On Monday, the heavy hitters were mobilised — Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Treasurer Scott Morrison — to attack the perceived tax intentions of Mr Shorten. They haven’t been outlined yet but the Joyce/Morrison attacks were vigorous and pertinent.

The Treasurer accused the Opposition of having given up on prosperity for all and wanted to increase taxes to pay for programs rather than create economic improvement.

At the other end of the response scale was a comment by Liberal backbencher Andrew Laming, who is widely credited as someone who says on national television what his fellow right-wingers only whisper in their loungerooms.

Mr Laming is not impressed by Labor’s arguments about inequality, likening it to toy envy.

“The Government should be focused on eliminating poverty,” he told Sky News.

“Inequality is staring over a fence and noticing another guy has got a jet ski and you don’t have one.

“Inequality doesn’t cause suffering, or falling out of the education system or poor health. What does is low incomes well below the median wage.

“It’s called bottom inequality. That’s poverty.”

This might not go down well with people who have had little or no pay rises in three years at a time of substantial corporate profits, or households facing big electricity bills after four years of Coalition government, or even those who can’t marry the same-sex person they want.

Bill Shorten is being accused of mimicking British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and even US independent presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

But Opposition figures point out that when Mr Shorten began rolling out proposed measures early this year Mr Corbyn was struggling to keep his Labour leadership job. He was only seen as a hero after Tory Prime Minister Theresa May rashly called an election and he was a gallant loser.