The federal government has declined to back a call by Tony Abbott to conduct a freedom-of-navigation exercise in the disputed South China Sea.
The former prime minister will make the call for a formal military exercise to sail or fly within 12 nautical miles of China-built artificial islands, in a major speech in Tokyo on Friday.
"We should exercise our right to freedom of navigation wherever international law permits, because this is not something that the US should have to police on its own," Mr Abbott will say in the speech.
Defence Minister Marise Payne, who is releasing the defence white paper on Thursday which will examine the South China Sea situation, refused to buy into the issue.
"I've made it very clear that I don't intend to make public comment on the potential future activities of the ADF in that regard," she told ABC radio.
Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said Mr Abbott was contradicting government policy.
"The former prime minister is in Japan, making speeches that contradict anything that the prime minister and foreign minister have said," she told reporters.
But Labor appears to be running its own contradictory line on the issue.
Leader Bill Shorten on Wednesday said any decision to have Australian ships join a US-led show of force in the disputed region should be left to the Navy.
On Thursday, Ms Plibersek said that call needed to be made by government.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week called for a "lowering of tensions" in the region.
"Any actions, regardless of their motivation, which undermine that, which create tensions, are working against the best interests of everybody," he said.
A peaceful Asia-Pacific had led to economic growth and prosperity, he said.
Share
