Bill Shorten has been given a gift that most opposition leaders only dream about.

Tony Abbott’s prime ministership has been littered with gaffes, ideological peculiarities and a vague air of incompetence — so much so that his own party wanted to dump him earlier this year.

There was that time the PM winked about a pensioner who worked as a sex worker to make ends meet. The time he claimed “good government starts today”. The budget mess that dragged on for an entire year. That time he awarded a British royal Australia’s top honour. His description of a female colleague as young, feisty and hot. The time he accused Labor of causing a “Holocaust of job losses”. And last week’s suggestion that a grocery code of conduct would fix the global economy.

But what has Shorten done with this gift? Well, not much, according to today’s Essential polling, which has him at a measly 27% voter approval rating.

As Shorten rushes to provide bipartisan support on national security, border protection and internet censorship, real opposition has been left to the Greens and a motley crew of minor party and independent senators. If the “me too” act is some sort of political strategy, it’s clearly not working.

As Crikey has written before, under Bill Shorten Labor has forfeited its role as an opposition entirely. And today’s polling shows that it’s not winning them any votes.