Introducing new ways to deal with corruption isn't easy, Attorney-General Christian Porter says, as the federal government faces mounting pressure to establish a national anti-corruption watchdog.
Mr Porter says the coalition is not taking an "unreasonable amount of time" as it considers how it can improve Australia's integrity framework.
"We have always said that we are open-minded to a variety of models and we have been working through those," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
Independent MP Cathy McGowan introduced a bill on Monday to set up a national integrity commission, which would have the powers of a royal commission.
Labor supports the bill, which Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says is long overdue.
But the government believes the proposed bill goes too far and would capture innocent public servants in the huge corruption net it casts and is working on an alternative approach.
"Your starting point just takes some time," Mr Porter said.
"It hasn't been an unreasonable amount of time we have taken to work through a variety of complicated issues, such as the issue whether or not a body like this would cover the judiciary."
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mr Porter were reportedly working on the policy earlier this year, before Mr Turnbull was dumped.
Further details of a proposal from the time emerged on Monday, noting the government was looking at converting the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity - one of 13 existing bodies that deal with corruption - into an anti-corruption watchdog.
It was also reportedly looking at converting the commission into two wings, one focused on law enforcement agencies and the other on politicians and public servants, the Guardian reports.
Mr Porter said that would certainly be "one logical model".
"My personal assessment of that agency is that it probably needs some assistance in a variety of ways," he said.
"But that's the logical place to start when you're considering ways in which you improve our integrity arrangements at a Commonwealth level."
Labor's shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said Mr Porter should simply "get on with it",
"Labor remains absolutely ready to work on a bipartisan basis to get this done," he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
The discussion comes as an annual survey report has revealed 4395 public servants reported witnessing corruption.
The Australian Public Service Commission report also said 78 public servants were investigated for corruption in 2017-18, with 72 of them found to have breached the code of conduct.
