And Ms Kearney's listening skills were on display from the moment she greeted Mr Shorten at Preston Market on Sunday.

"I went on a fun run this morning," Mr Shorten said as they walked into the market in Melbourne's north.

"Oh yeah, how'd you go?" Ms Kearney asked, leaning in.

"PB," the Opposition Leader replied quietly, smiling.

The pair shook hands with a gozleme cook, a florist and a lot of locals as they strolled through the busy marketplace.

"We're just here to say thanks," Mr Shorten tells the flatbread maker.

Ms Kearney and Mr Shorten are enjoying a quiet celebration after their win in Saturday's Batman by-election.

Labor held off a strong challenge from the Greens to retain the federal seat, which was vacated by David Feeney's resignation over his dual citizenship.

On Saturday night, Mr Shorten said the win showed Labor was "back" after proving bookmakers wrong to overcome the favored Greens.

On Sunday afternoon, he said Batman chose a politician who was focused on the people, not on themselves.

"Labor gets the message: it's not about us,' Mr Shorten said.

"That's why I think Ged went down so well in Batman. She's authentic. She's been a nurse.

"She's the real deal. Her heart's in the right place. She's got great values. And that cut through."

Ms Kearney said the win was a great reward after five flat-out weeks of campaigning across Batman.

"We had meetings in people's homes. We had meetings in the streets. We had meetings in town halls and community centres. And we really listened," she said.

"I'm very excited. I look forward to pushing my sleeves up and getting stuck into the hard work of representing this wonderful electorate."

Australian Associated Press