Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has admitted it was a mistake to lie to broadcaster Neil Mitchell about a secret meeting with Kevin Rudd during the 2013 Labor leadership crisis that ended Julia Gillard's prime minstership.
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At a media conference on Thursday, Mr Shorten said "I regret the mistake I made and the words I used" and "I am kicking myself in hindsight".
Asked if he could guarantee he would not mislead the public again, Mr Shorten answered: "I guarantee that when I'm asked about internal party matters, I won't give the sort of answer I gave."
In an interview with Mitchell during the 2013 leadership crisis, Mr Shorten told 3AW broadcaster that he had not been asked to review his support for Ms Gillard and that he had not spoken to Mr Rudd about the leadership.
However Tuesday night's final episode of documentary The Killing Season described a meeting between Mr Rudd and Mr Shorten on the night of the press gallery's Midwinter Ball on June 19, 2013 – two days before the Mitchell interview.
Mr Rudd's former adviser Patrick Gorman said in the episode that Mr Shorten met Mr Rudd in Richard Marles' office.
On Wednesday, Mr Shorten took the unusual step of calling Mitchell to concede that he had lied after Mitchell played the excerpt from The Killing Season for listeners.
On Thursday, Mr Shorten told reporters: "I made a mistake in that radio interview. I regret that."
"It was difficult times, as you are all aware. The Labor Party was bitterly divided and certainly I didn't want to put any more fuel on that fire," Mr Shorten said.
He said Mr Rudd had asked for his support, but he did not commit it on the night of the meeting.
"In terms of what actually happened, I did speak to Kevin Rudd on the night of the 19th. He did ask me for support," Mr Shorten said.
"I most certainly did not commit on that night to support Kevin Rudd. But they were tough times. What the Labor Party has learned since then is the fundamental importance of being united and we are united."
Mr Shorten dismissed the suggestion that the incident showed he could not be trusted, and therefore was not in a position to question the trustworthiness of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
"The truth is in the last election, the government now, the then opposition, did make promises not to cut pensions, which they have done. They promised not to cut education which they have now done. They have promised not to cut health which they have done," he said.
"Australians will look to the issues and who has the best plan for the future and we welcome a contest in Australian politics about the best plan for the future."
