The Labor legend died aged 89 on Thursday surrounded by family in his Sydney home. He was 23rd prime minister of Australia.
In a statement on Thursday night, Mr Shorten said Mr Hawke was a “leader of conviction – and a builder of consensus”.
“In Australian history, in Australian politics, there will always be B.H. and A.H: Before Hawke and After Hawke. After Hawke, we were a different country. A kinder, better, bigger and bolder country,” Mr Shorten said.
“The Australian people loved Bob Hawke because they knew Bob loved them, this was true to the very end.