The federal government insists police are still taking the death penalty into account before they tip off foreign agencies about suspected Australian drug smugglers.
Despite removing reference to the death penalty in his 2014 ministerial directive for the Australian Federal Police, Justice Minister Michael Keenan says strict guidelines that govern the agency's decisions on such matters remain in place.
The guidelines state the AFP must consider whether sharing information could put an Australian at risk of facing execution.
Mr Keenan said the coalition is using the same guidelines introduced by the Rudd Labor government in 2009 following a review.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the ministerial directives did not dictate the operations of the AFP.
She accused Labor of playing cheap politics over the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, a day after the drug smugglers were put to death in Indonesia.
"Shame on them," Ms Bishop told reporters in Sydney.
Labor leader Bill Shorten said the government must explain why the death penalty was removed from the ministerial directive and not absolve itself of responsibility.
Australians expected reassurance there was sufficient oversight of the AFP, he said.
"What we do want to make sure is that what happened in the early hours of yesterday morning can't happen again," he said.
Pressure is also mounting on the AFP to explain its role in tipping off Indonesia about the Bali Nine in 2005.
Robert Myers, the barrister who notified the AFP about the group, said since the guidelines were introduced, the agency had been cautious about acting in the same "abominable" way again.
He blamed the AFP for Chan and Sukumaran's deaths.
"They gave these people to the Indonesians knowing what the consequence was going to be, on a platter," Mr Myers said.
Chan and Sukumaran were guilty of masterminding a plot to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Indonesia to Australia.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon says the issue needs to be explored in a Senate inquiry.
The AFP declined to comment, referring questions to the minister's office.
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